The One That Got Away
by A.G. Ryle
Summary: There was a mysterious man in Sakura's life that promised to never return. Until he showed up one day, at a wrong time. Can Naruto fix all the problems before it ruins his life, or will he let go of the person he loves? Does history repeats itself? A.U. Fic. Multi-genre.
1. New Life Ahead

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY PART 1**

**-New Life Ahead-**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.  
Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!  
[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

_The vast waves - indulges every heart that longs for excitement. The feeling of warmth touching your skin as the cool water floats you to serenity, the timeless sands that either treasures something only nature can create, or something only our hearts can understand…_

"Hello there, Mr. Sea!" A blond guy with blue eyes shouted as he ran towards the sea with arms wide open. It was a fine Sunday afternoon in the beach – the last month of spring season, and a day away from first day of class for students, particularly the main reason why there are only less than ten people in the beach. A group of high school friends took advantage of it and decided to stay there till early in the morning, to savour every last moment of their _childhood _life.

"Woah! Slow down there boy, don't finish everything." Kiba said to Chouji as he dropped all their bags in the picnic mat, angrily scolding the hungry chubby guy who's rummaging the picnic basket on top of the folding table.

"It's okay, I'll just cook another chicken later," Chouji confidently replied upon biting the chicken sandwich.

Few seconds later, a pale, black-haired guy with spiky hairstyle and navy-bluish highlights that looks like a duck's behind, approached them. "Yeah, you're talking to the future chef here," He said, while placing down the folding chairs near the picnic mat, and afterwards sat down with both palms on the sand. After all, he needed a lot of rest, being the only person in the group who can drive can be troublesome at times. And he never thought that Kiba would rent a red manual pick-up car, being a vehicle enthusiast and all and having high taste for cars, he could have at least rented a better car that is automatic and has better air-conditioning.

"Yeah, future pig chef." Another pale guy with jet black hair replied, as he entered the scene with the other chairs he' holding. He placed them near the others and assembled it one by one.

"What did you say?" Said the chubby guy as he glared at the raven pale guy, Shikamaru then immediately calmed the angry Chouji by giving him the last chocolate he has.

_Phew, that was close, _Shikamaru thought to himself, as Chouji happily accepted the chocolate bar from the brunette. Good thing the lazy brunette responded and acted swiftly to the situation at hand. After all, the main reason why they are here today is to have a wonderful time together, and to celebrate the return of their blond friend, who is currently running towards them with a concern expression.

"Hey! Don't be so mean, Sai." The blond shouted, but only received a long sigh from the pale guy.

"Ooh, the dickless lad speaks. I thought the sea swallowed you alive, Naruto," Sai replied sarcastically to the blond as he set up his own chair, earning him a glare from the said blond.

"What did you say, punk?" Naruto shouted.

"He's not worth arguing with," The raven with duck-butt hairstyle replied flatly, as he patted Naruto's shoulder. Followed by a teasing statement. "Just assemble the umbrella so you can put your feet in the sea."

"Another dickless lad, how impressing! I never thought you'd be like Naruto, Sasuke." Sai uttered, as he stood up straight, preparing to relax on his chair. Sasuke immediately glared at him. Then he started stretching and attempted to reach his toes, only to pull a loose screw on Sai's chair without being obvious. Besides, pranking on Sai right now would be very delighting.

"Hn, you can say whatever you want to say. Morons like you are too useless to chat with." Sasuke replied with a smirk on his face, as he stood up and stretched his arms upwards, eyes still lock on the chair that will soon fall apart and maybe send the pale guy crying on the sand, or something like that.

"I'd be delighted, Sasuke." Sai replied sarcastically as he sat on his chair, until it unexpectedly folded into half, squeezing Sai in the middle. Naruto and Kiba fell on their knees, and laughed like it's the end of the world as they watched poor Sai struggling to get out of his folded chair. Sasuke could not resist any longer and decided to grab his camera and capture all the epicness of Sai. His imagination about it was quite close after all, except for the crying part, but his shock expression was enough to satisfy him and to consider his prank a success. Too bad the chubby guy was too busy with his chicken sandwich that he wasn't able to see the humorous show.

"This is too troublesome…" Shikamaru uttered as he reclined on the mat with his shades on, and watched the afternoon clouds pass by, as the two ravens and the blonde argued about the chair, and about their dicks.

* * *

_You said you'll never leave me, where are you now then? You left me with nothing, except for those wonderful memories – our first dance in the rain, our first date underneath the meteor shower, our almost first kiss – everything seems to slowly fade whenever your last words plays in my head,_

_"I never loved you…"_

_Damn you! Damn you!_

"Damn you!" A pink-haired girl muttered as tears slowly fell on her face. Her grip on the wooden fence tightened as she balanced herself, forcing not to let the tears fall from her eyes.

"Sakura-chan, are you done? We'll be late for Ino's party." A loud voice from the convertible car shouted. Sakura looked down and wiped her face to be sure, and forced a smile on her face before facing the girl in the car.

"Coming!" She shouted back, before glancing the sea once more. She took out a hair clip embellished with emerald and lapis lazuli gems from her shorts' pocket and observed it for the last time.

_Goodbye, forever…_ She uttered to herself as she threw the clip to the titanic sea. _Goodbye forever, _she repeated, and ran as fast as she can to the car few meters away from her. She sat beside the driver's seat and faced the window. She took one last look at the white lighthouse with blue windows and door. She looked up at the top after to check if the light was on, and it was not. Sakura then looked down and grasped her own hands.

"Are you sure you'll be fine, Saku—"

"I'll be fine, Tenten. Let's just go." Sakura interrupted as she buckled up her seatbelt. The brunette looked at her thoughtfully waiting for any signal, until Sakura finally noticed her and gave her a faint smile.

"No need to worry. Thank you for bringing me here." Sakura replied calmly, giving her friend a reassuring smile. The brunette then carried on and started the engine.

"Alright then, next stop, Yamanaka's residence." Tenten said cheerfully as she put down the hand break, and stepped on the accelerator.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, after eating their lunch – which was newly grilled chicken strips made by Chouji – the boys decided to play in the sea while Shikamaru, on the other hand, volunteered to guard their belongings, choosing to watch the clouds pass by beneath the umbrella than playing underneath the warm sun in the sea. Besides, he was too lazy to rise from the mat and walk.

"Chouji, stop jumping on the water, you're creating big waves." The blond, who is standing few meters away from them, said while searching for sea shells on the clear water.

"Uhm, isn't that why we're here, because of the waves?" Chouji replied as he created more waves with his hands, splashing his friends on the face.

"Yeah, it's quite annoying. I think you should better stop now piggy boy chef." Sai replied as he started to float on the water and decided to watch the sunset. Annoyed and felt controlled, Chouji dived into the water and pulled Sai down the sea, creating big waves, and eventually causing a water fight. But the blond remained silent in his area.

"What are you looking for, man? You were the one who's excited to play in the water, but there you are, digging something in the sand." Kiba ranted to Naruto. "Or in the water. C'mon man!" He followed, but still no reply from the blond.

"Maybe a gift for Hinata…" Sasuke teased with a smirk on his face.

"Who the hell is this Hinata girl?" Kiba asked with a surprised face as he turned to Sasuke.

"Neji's cousin. She moved in to his house few weeks ago with his uncle because of some family issue," Sasuke replied.

"Hmmm. Maybe that's the reason why Neji's not here. But I still don't get why Naruto has to collect shells for that Hinata girl." Chouji asked curiously before diving, and gave Sai another pull under the sea.

"Wait, when did you start courting girls without introducing 'em to me?" The brunet scolded Naruto as he returned his glare back at him.

"It's not for Hinata, okay. It's for my mother." The blond replied in annoyance. Everyone paused for a while, trying to comprehend Naruto's words. "It's my parents' anniversary this coming Tuesday. I wanted to give mom something special aside from pretty flowers," Naruto continued with a grin stretched on his face. Everyone felt sad, especially Sasuke who knew every detail of his parents' death.

"I'm hungry. I'm going back to the tent," Sasuke said with a stoic expression as he headed to the shore.

"Wait for me!" Chouji shouted excitedly.

"Hn, hungry again?" Sasuke deadpanned, but Chouji only replied with a guilty smile. Sai and Kiba followed them afterwards.

"C'mon, Naruto, we'll help you find some shells later after we eat!" Kiba shouted.

"Coming!" Naruto replied with a quirky smile of his.

Just when he was about to head to the shore, he saw something shiny resting near the huge rock, not too far from where he's standing. He quickly followed the shiny object, not knowing that few steps from where he is rest a gigantic hole. He fell on it and immediately shouted for help, but he was too far from them and the wave is slowly drawing him even farther. He tried grabbing the veins dangling on the rock but it was not strong enough to hold him. Just when he was about to lose hope, Sasuke noticed him from afar and quickly ran towards him for rescue. Shikamaru followed afterwards, which everyone. Sasuke swam towards Naruto and grabbed him from the neck, while Shikamaru cuts off the vines that got entangled on Naruto's ankle while he was calling for help.

"Hang in there, usuratonkachi." Sasuke said teasingly as he hurriedly pulled the blond to the shore with his arms supporting his neck above the water, allowing Naruto to breathe.

"You really are a bastard, Sasuke." Naruto stuttered as he tried to catch his breath.

"But seriously, hold on, or you me to do CP—"

"Hell no, dattebayo! I'm fine."

"Hn, alright kitty, if you say so."

"Teme!" Naruto growled. When they finally reached the shore, Kiba rushed towards the blond with a worried faced and unexpectedly hit him on the head with a barbeque stick, which surprisingly cut into half. Unluckily, the half part of the stick bounced back to Kiba's forehead just when Naruto was about to open his mouth to react to the pain. Luckily the pointed part of the stick only created a red mark on his forehead.

"Ouch!" Kiba shouted as he fell on his knees and rubbed his forehead. Naruto, on the other hand, rubbed the spot where the stick hit him as he stared blankly at Kiba.

"What the hell's wrong with you? I thought you were behind us. Then next thing I knew you're drowning like a little girl from afar. You even made Shikamaru stand from his royal throne and dive in the sea just to help Sasuke rescue you like a little doggy. Man, you scared the hell out of me!" Kiba angrily rebuked as he scolded at Naruto like a puppy that broke something precious.

"Gosh, I can't stand the gayness here. Now there are three dickless lads in here."

"Shut up, Sai! If you say dick one more time I'm going to rip your balls and shove it up your ass, do you understand?" Kiba exclaimed as he turned around and points a finger at Sai.

"Yeah, whatever you say big mouth. Ohoho! Look at this, I've just found the missing Big mouth! The legendary big foot would be very happy."

"You, you—"

"Stop it, dattebayo!" The blond interrupted as he laughed while rolling on the sand, "I admit, it was stupid of me to put myself in danger just for this." Naruto then opened his fist and showed them a hair clip ornament with genuine stones, "I finally found a perfect gift for my mom!" Naruto said happily.

Sasuke looked down and smiled. _At least for once, he'll be happy on that day, _the raven thought to himself. He then threw a towel on Naruto, who seemed to be shivering a little as the wind got colder. "You look like a wet sock, go dry yourself, punk."

"I've always known, Sasuke." Naruto replied with a small smile.

"Hn, known what dobe?" Sasuke answered with one eye brow raised.

"That you like me," Naruto said in a friendly way.

"Hmm…" Sasuke replied, grinning with a strange gleam on his eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Naruto asked curiously, then he suddenly realized… "Oh god, no!" The blond quickly shouted, causing everyone to burst into laughter as they teased Naruto, and mimicked Kiba's hilarious scene with the barbeque stick.

The sun had finally set and the boys decided to lie on their picnic mat staring at the starry sky after setting up their own tent. They reminisced about their high school life, how they met each other, the fights, the problems, and not to mention the girls they liked.

"We'll be in college tomorrow. I wonder what it would be like," Kiba said, lying with his arms crossed behind his head.

"I don't know, maybe troublesome."

"Everything is troublesome to you, Shikamaru!" Kiba concluded, "But anyway, how are you and that girl you were hitting on her since we were freshmen?"

"It's too trouble—"

"Oh c'mon Shika, tell us, tell us!" Naruto pleaded.

"Alright, alright…" Shikamaru replied. Everyone waited, and waited for a single word from the spiky brunet, until Kiba could not wait any longer and promptly sat down on the mat, only to find out that their brunette friend is already asleep.

"You bastard!" he shouted as he flipped his sleeping friend to the right and wrestled him.

"Ugh, you are too—"

"Yeah, I know. My middle name is trouble, nice to meet you too slug," Kiba said teasingly as he sat on the back of his poor, sleepy, or better yet, his lazed off friend. The evening was filled with happiness, and memories of long-time friends. Until the sun rose and everyone has to go home to prepare for another day, not so different from their yesterday.

* * *

When Naruto arrived in the apartment early morning the next day, a tall man with natural gray-hair approached him and ruffled his hair, with a book glued on his other hand.

"Glad you came earlier than the usual, boy. Your dinner's ready—or should I say breakfast." The tall man said sarcastically as he went back to his seat and began reading his book.

"Is it ramen? And where the hell is your mask? You look different."

"Apparently, no, we ran out of ramen. And I washed my mask, will be dry by lunchtime." The gray-haired man replied as he put on his reading glasses.

"Then I guess I'm not hungry. Good night Kakashi-jii-san!" Naruto said as he headed to his room. But Kakashi immediately stood up and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him to the dining area.

"You are going to finish your food whether you like it or you like it, okay?"

"Hey! I'm already twenty years old! Don't drag me like I'm still eight—"

"Then stop acting like one!"

"Let me—" Naruto broke off as he saw a small cake on the table. He looked at Kakashi with curiosity, and excitement at the same time.

"Isn't it your parents' anniversary tomorrow?" Kakashi asked, Naruto looked down and nodded, all excitement faded away. "It would make them happy if you celebrate it with them—"

"But it's not today, okay! It's still tomorrow, don't get too excited." Naruto exclaimed.

"Want to know something?" Kakashi asked with a small smile as he tried to meet Naruto's blue eyes.

"What?" Naruto asked in a low voice, pouting and trying to avoid Kakashi's eyes.

"They always celebrate it a day before."

"Why is that?" Naruto asked as he placed his hands inside his pockets, feeling uncomfortable of their current conversation.

"Because usually on the day of their anniversary is the same day where your father has to go back to—"

"Which caused his death, yeah, thanks a lot." Naruto stated then he rushed to his room, leaving Kakashi alone in the dining area.

_I thought it will cheer him up if we celebrate it together. I even skipped the chapter I was anticipating just for this cake,_ the gray-haired man thought. _I guess I'll just put in the fridge, he'll get hungry soon. After all, we ran out of ingredients for ramen, and the instant ones too, he has no choice but to finish the cake_. Then he decided to go back to his favourite chair and finish the last few chapters of the book.

"I better finish this volume, the next one is out." He said to himself, thinking about the last time the two stores who was selling the book ran out of stock and he has to wait for weeks for the second batch of delivery, and for the price to decrease. It is the best selling series of his dear friend. Having thought of it, it was quite sad that considering that they are friends and co-workers, Kakashi does somewhat deserve a friendly discount, he is Jiraiya's number one fanl.

Naruto locked his door and hurriedly lied on his bed facing the ceiling, trying to hold back his tears. _Darn it_, he thought to himself. When he couldn't help it anymore, he immediately turned to his side and hugged his stuffed-toy frog, Gama, tightly. The minute he felt something bulky in his pocket, he sat up and rummaged it until he sensed something hard. He pulled it out and realized that it was the clip adorned with small cuts of emeralds and lapis lazuli gems. Out of boredom, he lied down again and tossed it in the air repeatedly until he felt sleepy and turned to his left, facing his desk and stared at the scenery outside the window above it. _The sun is almost high, I wonder if I still have time to take a nap_. Absentmindedly, he forgot that the clip was still in the air. He was about to close his eyes when it landed on his nose.

"Ouch!" Naruto shouted as he immediately rose from his lying position and prompted up on his bed, rubbing his nose with a pout.

"Hey! You okay there? Don't commit suicide yet, it's not the end of the world." Came Kakashi's muffled shout from the living room.

"Tsk…" Naruto uttered, then he stared at the clip on his lap, "Curse you stupid clip, dattebayo!" he said as he held the clip and scolded it like a little kid. Then he felt something, something warm, like he knew its owner. The clip somewhat connects to him, like it was meant to be with him.

"I guess I'll just buy flowers again for mom and dad," He said as he pinned the clip on the tip of his shirt. "Darn it, I need coffee. My head feels really heavy-ttebayo." He said to himself as he glanced at his watch and noticed that it was almost time for him to go to school. He stood up from his bed, stretched both hands upward, and rushed to the door while grabbing his notebook and pen as he passed by his desk. Upon opening the door of his bedroom, he saw Kakashi, still sitting on his armchair and seriously reading his book, but it is quite obvious that he cannot hide his blushing face, not without his beloved mask.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked, eyes still locked on the book.

"To the coffee shop nearby, then head to the school after." Naruto passively replied as he passed by Kakashi and opened the main door.

"Oh good, can you do me a favour and buy me a—" Kakashi was about to make a request when he heard the door slammed. "Never mind, I guess I'll just text him… later after this chapter." Kakashi said to himself, indulging himself with the last few chapters of the book.

* * *

"Where's Shikamaru? I thought he'll help us here in the café!" Ino shouted to Tenten who were baking some pancakes.

"He has morning class, remember? He said he'll be here in the afternoon." Tenten replied as she showed off her cooking style by flipping the pancakes like a badminton cock in the rocket to the costumers. _I still can't believe she was able to force that slug to help in the café. Anyways, they are childhood friends after all, and you can't really rely on Chouji when it comes to food,_ Tenten thought to herself. The audience awed in her amazing show, some even clap whenever she tossed the pancakes in the air.

"How about that forehead girl—"

"Chill, will you? They'll be here." Tenten replied. Then Ino went back to the cashier area to entertain costumers, when she noticed this good looking blond guy in black slacks and leather shoes_, and orange shirt._

"Yes sir, how may I help you?"

"One coffee jelly please."

"That's all?"

"You also sell flowers here right?"

"Yeah, we do."

"Do you have white daffodils?"

"I believe we are out of stock, sir."

"Oh, I see. Then I'll just take the coffee jelly, regular size."

"Alright, please wait on the side." Ino said cheerfully. _He looks somewhat familiar. I just don't know when and where I encountered this guy,_ she thought to herself. As the blond guy walks few steps away from her, she realized that she forgot to get his name. "Sir!" Ino shouted, the blond guy stopped and looked back at Ino, when someone accidentally bumped him, causing both of them to fall on the ground.

"Sakura!" Ino shouted, surprised.

"Ugh…" Sakura uttered as she tried to raise herself from the ground, or better yet, the blonde guy's hard body.

"Are you alright, miss? Are you hurt? I mean it is painful, I feel hurt myself. I'm—" The blond stopped his incessant babbling when he was caught by Sakura's emerald green eyes. The two stared at each other for few seconds, until Sakura finally managed to stand up from the ground; the blond guy stood up afterwards and gazed back at Ino.

"Oh, you were saying?"

"I was about to ask for your name." Ino replied, still shocked about the scene.

"Oh, _that_... Right, Naruto's the name." The blond guy replied with a quirky smile.

"Naruto…" Ino uttered flatly. _I've heard that name before. Do I know this guy? _She asked herself, then immediately gave him a fake smile.

"Hai!" Naruto exclaimed with a thumbs up. Then he returned his gaze to Sakura, who was staring at the hair clip on Naruto's shirt. "Are you okay?" Naruto asked thoughtfully, having a feeling that the clip belongs to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. May I ask you something?" Sakura replied, still staring at the clip.

"Sure. What is it?" Naruto answered cheerfully.

"Where did you get the clip on our shirt?"

"Oh, this," Naruto took the clip and showed it to her on his right palm, "In the beach, I uh... I… my friend found it yesterday." He continued while he scratched his head with his left hand, having a strong feeling that the clip belongs to her.

"Really?" Sakura replied with dismay.

"May I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure." Sakura replied as she raised her head up and looked at his eyes. Naruto's heart stopped as his eyes met hers. He took a deep breath and gulped, hoping not to stutter.

"The clip, is it yours?" He asked, Sakura looked down and nodded. Then she looked at him again.

"Can I meet your friend later, the one who found the clip?" Sakura pleaded.

"I guess, sure." Naruto replied with a smile.

"Thank you." Sakura answered, and gave him a big smile which made him melt.

"Ehem. Here's your coffee jelly Naruto-san. Enjoy your day," Ino intruded as she rang the bell. Naruto grabbed the coffee jelly in the counter and headed to the door. As he reached it, he looked back at Sakura and said. "We'll be here by lunch time, okay?"

"Okay." She replied. Then Naruto left, leaving Sakura near the counter. She tightened her fist and held it near to her heart, _I wish, it's not the same person who gave it to me… _she said to herself as she watched the blond guy walk away from the shop. _Naruto, weird name…_

"That guy looks familiar, did he come here before?" Ino asked as she fixed the flowers in the counter.

Sakura looked at her with a smile and said, "There are sure tons of blonde guys with blue eyes here." Then she grabbed her back on the floor and head to the kitchen. "I have a class in an hour, but I'll be back in the afternoon." She shouted to Ino from the serving window.

_She's clearly not over him yet, _Ino thought, _who would forget that guy easily anyway?_ Then she shook her head, and waited patiently for next costumers.

"Damn it! You blew it off again! Don't you know it's hard to find good looking girls these days?" Naruto scolded himself as he walked down the road, heading to the university. "Of course I do. Damn, I should have told her that I was the one who found the clip. Damn it, damn it!" He continued as he slapped his forehead with infuriation. Without looking at the road, a girl ran over him again. This time, he was able to balance himself and moved his right foot backward for support as he held the girl near him, preventing her from falling on the opposite direction.

"Are you alright, mi..." He trailed off and stared closely at the girl, "Hinata?"

"Oh, um hey there, Na-Naruto-kun, I… I was just looking for you…" Hinata replied gently as she rubbed her head and looked up at Naruto with a smile, Naruto awkwardly smiled back to her and gently released her as both of them gained balance.

* * *

"Oh Naruto, _my hero_!" Kiba said, imitating a shy girl's voice and laughed afterwards like the world will end today, "I tell you man, that chick digs you." He teased once more.

"She just gave me a pen. A _pen_, Kiba, don't give any meaning to that." Naruto pointed out. Unsure if he will take Kiba's words seriously.

"Which is a proof that she's totally into you! I mean, who would give a _Parker pen_ to someone whom you've just met few weeks ago, huh? Tell me?" Kiba insisted.

"Shikamaru." Naruto replied. Then the brunette immediately remembered when Shikamaru asked him and Naruto to help him pick the most suited pen style for the girl he was courting back in high school.

"Well, Shika was courting the girl, and look at them now, they're like lovebirds, even though he doesn't talk about her that much, or introduced her to us. Damn, made me realized, he never mentioned her name to us!" Kiba exclaimed, but Naruto remained silent, "C'mon, she likes you!" Kiba teased as he bumped the blonde's shoulder.

"No, of course not, why would she? I mean—"

"C'mon man, we both know that you can feel her _lov_e." Kiba said teasingly.

"Alright, so maybe she does." Naruto sighed. "It gives me the creeps sometimes. She's kind of weird, and shy. I can't even hear the words she's saying sometimes that I have to move closer to her. "

"Well, why don't you give her a try?" Kiba suggested. Then Naruto stopped walking and recalled the girl in the café. _Sakura…_

"Yo dude, still with me?" Kiba asked as he stopped and faced his blond friend.

"Why don't _you_ try?" Naruto said suggestively.

"What? In your dreams man!" Kiba rejected, eyes wide as saucers.

"C'mon man, I thought we're friends, why can't you help me?" Naruto said to his stubborn friend.

"Because I can't do it! Why not ask your faggot friend, or that bast—"

"Dude, everyone knows that Sai is socially unskilled. And well, Sasuke, he's a _teme_!" Naruto growled as he crumpled his fist and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "He says what he wants to say without any doubts, he doesn't care if he'll hurt others' feelings. I… I don't want Hinata to get hurt." He continued, and pictured Hinata's sweet innocent smile.

"And you think I won't?" The brunet asked. "C'mon man, there's Chouji, he's _gentler_ than me. And Sai's a fast learner, teach him how to handle girls or something." Kiba insisted, hoping that his blonde friend will change his mind and stop forcing him with his little favour. The boys stared at each other for few seconds, arguing through their eyes before they began walking again.

Not far from where they are, someone is indefinitely spying on them, secretly walking among the crowd of students heading to their respective buildings, watching their every move. Carefully eyeing the brunet and the blond as they act like little kids who are having petty quarrel on who should go first. They are almost reachable, his pacing surged, and the spy is heading towards them, aiming to…

"Ah! Mother fu—"

"Datteba—" Kiba and Naruto shouted in synchronization as someone grabbed their foot which almost made them stumble on the ground. Both of them looked down and saw a pale guy with short, jet black hair.

"Hn, miss me?" the mysterious guy said as he stood up and faced his two friends. Kiba and Naruto's expression gradually shifted from furiously angry to confusion, then surprised.

"Sasuke?" they both shouted. The raven moved backward and placed his index finger in his right ear, as if something went inside it.

"Good to see you too doggy, and dobe." Sasuke deadpanned. After a short pause, Kiba and Naruto finally pulled themselves together and glared at the raven.

"Darn you! What the hell was that for, dattebayo? And what's with your freakin' haircut, where the hell is the duck-butt?" Naruto shouted at his pale friend.

"Hn." Sasuke replied with one eye-brow raised.

"You have to answer them all." The blond demanded furiously.

"I just feel like scaring scaredy cats like the two of you."

"What did you called me teme?" Naruto said angrily, Sasuke just smirked at him, which made the blond angrier.

"And the hair, what happened?" Kiba continued as he put his hands on his waist like a strict professor.

"Hn, had a haircut before heading to school, is it bad?" Sasuke monotonously replied with confidence. Kiba looked at him from his hair to his feet and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Not bad, you look manlier now, like the bangs." Kiba said while patting his friend's shoulder.

"I thought it would look hideous if I leave my bangs as is, glad to know it's alright." Sasuke deadpanned.

"Yeah, it's cool, I like how you made your bangs full, and long on the sides. And thank god that duck-ass hair is gone." Kiba answered with elation.

"Fuck that bromance dudes, its creepy!" Naruto said as he shrugged and stared at his two friends get along with each other for the first time in the history of their friendship.

"Why? Are you jealous, dobe?" Sasuke asked teasingly as he faced Naruto.

"Why you… you…" Naruto said repeatedly, finding the perfect word to describe his bastard friend.

"Hn, me what?" Sasuke said as he crossed his arms to his chest and raising one eye brow.

"Motherfucking bastard!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up and down like a little kid. Sasuke stared at him for few seconds, and laughed seconds after at his childish tantrums.

"Woah, I thought I'm the only one in the group who has a bad mouth," Kiba said as he laughed at Naruto. Sasuke looked straight behind Naruto and saw someone familiar, Kiba and Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze and saw Shikamaru.

"Yo, Shika, sup?" Kiba said as his sleepy-looking friend approached them.

"Math in the morning is too troublesome." Shikamaru replied as he placed his glasses on his pocket.

"Everything for you is troublesome." Naruto stated with a teasing smile.

"Because it's true." Shikamaru replied in a normal voice, or exclaimed.

"Anyway, what's your next class? Mine is English—ttebayo." The blond said as he changed the topic.

"Hn, same here."

"Mine too. Geez numbers and words don't go well in the morning. Mondays are truly troublesome." Shikamaru then sighed.

"English class under Professor Hatake?" Kiba replied while staring at the class schedule taped on the first page of his notebook.

"Damn don't tell me that Hatake prof's given name is Kakashi." Naruto asked, surprised.

"I heard it is," Sasuke replied, "isn't that your uncle?"

"Wait, the university allows that?" Kiba replied curiously.

"Maybe they thought they are not related to each other by blood, which is true." Shikamaru explained.

"Hm... probably, I mean, no one actually knows that the two of you lives in one roof except for us." Kiba agreed.

"Damn this day!" Naruto exclaimed as he slap himself again in annoyance.

"Woah dude! I thought you're the good twin and I'm the bad twin? Stop doing that!" Kiba cried out to his friend as he stopped him from slapping himself. "Alright, I'll help you with that Hinata girl, just give me her details and I'll deal with the rest. Just stop cursing like that, it's not like you."

"What, you're attempting to hit on Hinata? Good luck with that." The raven teased.

"First of all, I will never _hit on_ that girl, especially after hearing Naruto's experiences from her. And second, I will just keep her away from Naruto—"

"Which is distracting her by making her fall for you instead of Naruto?" The spiky brunet smoothly interrupted.

"Yep, that's actually what my boy is asking me to do." Kiba answered and gave Shikamaru a thumbs-up, allowing the raven to conclude.

"Which is actually hitting on her?"

"No! Wait, uh…" Kiba ran out of word and scratched his head as he realized that the raven was somewhat right. Then he noticed a smirk on Sasuke's face and hit his head with a notebook, but Sasuke managed to avoid.

"Watch the hair," Sasuke uttered.

"Nice hair." Shikamaru said as he observed his duck-butt-less hair.

"Can we stop talking about Sasuke's new hair? I get it—it's nice, can we just head to our next class?" Naruto exclaimed impatiently.

"Alright, chill." Kiba replied as he patted Naruto's shoulders, following Shikamaru who was leading the way to their building.

The girls in the aisle paused as the four guys entered the building like they are watching a grand entrance of some celebrities. The guy who was leading the group has a long pushed back hair tied in a ponytail, he is holding his blazer on his left shoulder and his necktie is loose, showing small parts of his chest and two bottom buttons are unclipped. The guy on his right has a short black hair with bangs; he is wearing the uniform properly and seriously wiping his reading glasses with his handkerchief. The two guys on the left who were making fun of the posters are like twins because they almost have similar personality, only the one near the lockers has blonde hair with blue eyes, wearing an orange shirt inside his polo, and the other one has a brown hair with black eyes. The blonde's necktie was dangling inside his blazer's pocket while the brunette was wearing his necktie properly and carrying his vest with his left hand.

As the group walk down the aisle going to their room, one blonde girl with dark green eyes passed by them, and whispered something to the one who is leading them.

"Wear your uniform properly punk, you only wear it once a week." Their eyes met for a split second, allowing her to give him a smirk. The guy smirked back and immediately followed the blonde outside the building.

"What was that supposed to mean?" He shouted to the blonde-haired girl as both of them went out of the building.

"Shika—"

"How are your brothers?" he asked as he stopped in front of the girl, and immediately looked up to the sky, hoping that the blonde girl didn't hear his question. Both were silent, until the blonde girl finally decided to break it first.

"It's okay, a year had passed since Gaara died, I know how you got used to asking that question, I mean you've been asking that question since we've met and—"

"Temari."

"What?" She asked in trembling voice as her eyes became watery.

"Don't–"

"I'm fine, Shikamaru." She replied as she looked at their surrounding, trying to distract herself, and making sure no one's there to see the tears in her yes. But the spiky brunet unexpectedly grabbed her hands and pulled her toward him, burying her face on his uniform.

"No one will see you now…" Shikamaru whispered and smiled as if he said the funniest thing on earth, "everyone will think that I'm joking around with a graduating student—"

"You are so annoying, you know that?" Temari replied as she hit both her fists on Shikamaru's chest and laughed as she heard a short, low grunt from him.

"Yeah I know, hope you know how troublesome you are." Shikamaru answered as he rubbed his chest with his right arm while his left hand supported Temari's back. _Geez, I never thought I'd met someone who's stronger than my mother._

"You should go back, your friends are waiting for you."

"Oh, are they?" he answered, pretending to be shocked. Then Temari hit him again on the chest, but lightly this time.

"Don't be a bad-ass right now. Today is your first day of class as a _college student_. Please make a good impression to your professor by being punctual. And please wear your uniform properly, don't be a slob," She said as she fixed Shikamaru's tie, buttoning the two unpinned buttons on his uniform, and helping him put on his blazer, "I won't always be here to take care of you."

"Yes, I know. Thank you onee-san."

"What the hell Shika—" she said as she automatically pushed Shikamaru, but he was able to grab all his strength and hug the strong blond girl tightly.

"See you later, my love." Then he let go of her and went back inside the building, leaving the smiling blonde girl standing outside the building. Upon opening the door of the building, the spiky brunet was surprised to see his friends staring at him with a big grin on their faces. He did not bother to ask, even though their stares are somewhat troubling him. Instead, he continued walking down the busy aisle. The boys looked at each other and followed the brunette.

"Yo Shika, is that your girlfriend?" Kiba asked as he bumped the brunette's right shoulder, but received no answer.

"C'mon tell us! Is she, is she?" Naruto asked teasingly as he bumped the other shoulder, but the brunette ignored his question and remained silent. After all, why exert some energy to answer questions with obvious answers, right?

"Wait a second, isn't that Gaara's older sister?" The blond began to ask as he gazed at Kiba.

"I believe so, wait… You were dating _Temari-chan_ the whole time?" Kiba exclaimed, then he started laughing, "All this time, she was the one you were dating? How did you get pass her brothers?"

"Yeah, how could you break the rule—?"

"There's no _rule_, Naruto…"

"Then how did the two meet? Gaara only introduced us twice to his siblings, it's impossible to be love at first sight... Or is it?"

"No." The brunette replied to the blonde, as he opened the door to their room. "By the way, fix your selves would you, unless you want to be noticed by the professor." He uttered to Kiba and Naruto who quickly glanced at each other, trying to figure out what the brunette's words mean, but their gazes were cut off by Sasuke who putted on his glasses and passed by in between them,

"Shikamaru's right, you two look like old rags." He said, teasing his brunette and blonde friend.

Like last year, and years ago, Kakashi is always thirty minutes late for his class. But unlike his common rituals during first day of class where he ask his students to state their name and choose their own seat for the whole semester, he arranged them alphabetically. He was quite surprised to see Naruto's name on his class card, but who cares? No one knows they live on the same roof. And whatever happens, he will never tutor his favourite professor's son.

"Alright class, for me to know your class standing, please answer the first ten exercises in your English book found at the long table at the left corner at the back. Please get one and only one please. This will also serve as a review from your high school English. It is 11:30am in my watch. Please pass all your worksheets in my desk by 12nn. Begin." All the students scram to the corner and grabbed one English book. Upon heading back to their seat, they realized that the books have their name written in front and was arranged alphabetically, so they bolted from their seat and gave the book to their corresponding owner.

"Twenty minutes left." Kakashi reminded to the students, everyone was rushing, some were looking at the previous pages to recall the topic. Sasuke was confident and knew all the answers by heart, while Shikamaru scanned the exercises.

"Geez, most of it are high school stuff, this is too troublesome." He muttered to himself as he closed his book, leaned both his hands on top of it and rested his head to sleep.

Kiba answered all the questions he knows first before going back to the questions he doesn't know so he has time to look at the previous pages to recall the topic. Naruto on the other hand, was just staring at his book. Kiba glanced at him and told him to answer, but Naruto was maybe, too lazy to answer such things. He was flipping the pages over and over again until he accidentally landed on the last page of the chapter and realized that there was an answer key. He memorized the answers for the first 10-item exercise, and answered it. Then he did the same thing with the other exercises.

"Time's up. Pass your papers forward." Everyone stood up and placed the papers on Kakashi's desk, and went back to their seat exhaustedly.

"Alright. Actually we still have five minutes left before noon. Now I need three students to explain our topic for today or the whole chapter one of the book without looking at the book. If one of the three students fails, we will proceed to chapter two and you will answer all the exercises for ten minutes." The students looked at their desk, hoping that the professor will not pick them.

"The first student is Mr. Uzumaki Naruto. You have one minute to summarize one third of the topic." Naruto looked at Kakashi, surprised that he actually called him. But Kakashi knew him too well, and he knows that he will definitely win, but one student stood up before Naruto and answered his question.

"The topic is about research or to look again…" Shikamaru explained.

"There are three general approaches to research, namely descriptive studies, associational or correlation studies, and intervention studies…" Sasuke continued.

"And there are types of research according to objectives. They are descriptive, explanatory, exploratory, action, pure and applied research." A dark-haired, innocent looking guy with long hair in low-pony answered. Kakashi was quite shocked, he wasn't expecting Naruto's friends to save his ass, but he'll definitely get his nephew next time, he will make him love one of his favourite subjects.

"Alright, dismissed." He stood up, smiled at his students, and left the room. Everyone else followed after, murmuring and complaining about the exercises.

"Yo Neji!" Naruto shouted as he walked against the crowd who was leaving the room and approach the innocent looking guy who was fixing his things.

"Hey." Neji replied.

"Thanks for saving my ass a while ago, bro."

"Don't thank me, thank my cousin. And besides, I need to show your uncle that I don't deserve to be here."

"Yeah, what happened, Neji? You're _not_ supposed to be here." said Naruto, who was sitting down on the chair near Neji.

"He told me I failed. But my theory is that the professor interchanged my grades by accident with Miro."

"Who the hell is Miro?" the blonde curiously asked, _and is he referring to Kakashi-ji-san when he said professor, or someone else? As far as I can remember, he never taught an English class before. This is quite intriguing._

"My former classmate in English class, same course with Sasuke. I might talk to him later. I heard Miro failed one of his math classes. Sasuke might meet him."

"Yeah, good luck with that Neji." Naruto replied as he patted the Hyuuga's shoulders. He stood up and headed to the door, where Kiba and Shikamaru await.

"Yeah, thanks. Good luck with my cousin. I heard she's really into you, for some reasons I cannot comprehend." Neji replied to Naruto who's about to exit the room.

"Thanks, I'll need that luck." Naruto replied sarcastically. Then he grabbed his bag and headed to the door while holding the clip inside his blazer's pocket.

"So where are you guys heading next? By the way, where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked as they exit the building.

"Sasuke went ahead, he said his next class is Math, and it's starting… right now." Kiba replied while glancing at his watch.

"He's there." Shikamaru drawled, staring at the pale man in the crowd of students, few meters away from them.

"Saw him, thanks." Said Naruto as he patted his friend's shoulder, and ran after Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" he shouted repeatedly. The raven stopped to turn around and saw a blond from a far, running towards him like some incident happened. Naruto stopped in front of him, "Sasuke…" He uttered while panting. "Can we meet later, lunchtime?" He asked as he straighten up.

"Hn, what for?"

"To eat lunch." Naruto said. Sasuke paused for a while and stared at him again with weird gleams on his squinting eyes.

"Teme! I am not gay! And I need your help."

"Don't tell me it's the same favour you asked Kiba a while ago."

"No—yes… Quite similar, but it's nothing close to what I asked Kiba to do for me."

Sasuke paused again and stared blankly at Naruto. Then he finally uttered his most famous word. "Hn" And looked away from the blond. Naruto glared at him, but decided to compose himself. He needs Sasuke's help, and arguing with him will make things harder. The blond took a deep breath and asked the raven as calmly as possible.

"Well, remember the clip I found in the sea?"

"So you found the owner and is asking for ransom?"

"Well... yeah, kind of. The thing is… she's asking for the person who found it."

"She?" Sasuke asked. Then he shook his head, giving a signal to Naruto not to answer the stupid question, "Where's the problem, aren't you the one who found it?"

"Yes." Naruto paused. Then he remembered his big mistake and started slapping his forehead, "Damn those green eyes!"

_Green eyes? _Sasuke thought curiously, "I still don't see the problem here, except that I am late for my Math cla—"

"Can we just meet later, I'll explain everything when we get there?"

"Where is that _where_?"

"The coffee shop near our apartment, the one with the flower shop inside it."

"I'll think about it."

"You have to be there, Sasuke, please I'm begging you."

"Hn."

"Please."

"We'll see. Can I go to my Math class now?" Said Sasuke impatiently, Naruto nodded and watched his friend turn-around and walk away from him. Then he sadly returned to his brunet friends while thinking for a substitute plan if ever Sasuke won't come.

"Hey! What's your next class?" Kiba asked as his blonde friend drew nearer, "Me and Shikamaru has to go back to that old building. Our next class is History."

"Wow, both of you are in same class again? That's great!"

"Not really. I'll be taking my major, while the slug here takes general history." Kiba replied.

"This day is very troublesome."

"Mine is Science. Guess I have to go." Naruto said as he waved goodbye and watched his two friends head back to the building.

"Oh! And tomorrow, be early. Registration for P.E. is tomorrow, and I heard it's on first come first serve basis. I also heard we can register early!" Kiba shouted to his blonde fiend who turned around to face him.

"Yeah, now everyone knows that we can register earlier than the given time." Shikamaru whispered to his friend, then sighed as he saw some people murmur about the early registration and reservations. "Geez, how troublesome…"

"Damn it." Kiba murmured, "See you later, Naruto!" He shouted once more, Naruto waved at his two friends and watched them disappear from the doors of the building. He glanced at his watch and noticed that he was late for his next class.

"Dattebayo, I'm late! Damn it." He said to himself and ran as fast as he can, hoping that the professor is not as bastard as Kakashi.

_Fate is truly playful. It allows you to think that things will definitely follow your instructions in your life, until it makes a single turn. Then everything you have planned ahead will be needing a little adjustment, or a cosmic change to turn it the other way around. But sometimes, changes happen… for a reason._

* * *

**_-End of Part 1-_**

_Who is the person…_

_Who got away, promised to never come back_

_But was found again – such a small world, isn't it?_


	2. Meeting Game

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY PART 2**

**-Meeting Game-**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.  
Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!**  
**[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

**_Some things are meant to happen for a certain reason. And you can either face the consequences ahead, hope for a good result after, or sulk in the corner until the things you are currently regretting grows, until you cannot handle it, and give up._**

* * *

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

_Why, why does the clock has to tick so loud whenever I'm late?_

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

_Damn it!_ _I'm really really late-ttebayo! I… I need to run faster. I… I have… to push myself… to run faster…_

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

"Good morning class! I'll be your biology teacher for this semester. Please say you're here when I call your name," said the professor as he entered the semi-circular room with a smile.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

_Almost there, just few steps more…_

"I'm here!" The blond sighed as he pulled the door open, hoping that the professor is not yet around. Unluckily, the professor was standing in front of him and was suppose to lock the door.

"Alright, I've already arrange the class according to their class number. I'm guessing you're Uzumaki Naruto. Am I correct?"

"Hai. I'm really sorry professor. My previous class was in the English and History building, and it just ended few minutes ago. It's kind of far from here-ttebayo." The blond explained with a guilty smile on his face.

The professor looked at him seriously and sighed, _Well, it is the first day of class, I'll be kind to him, for now._ Then he gave him a smile and said, "Alright, you may take the empty seat on the right side, second to the last row. I guess you're the last and only missing student in this class."

"Thank you."

"But you do know that there's a consequence for being late. I can accept your excuse if you were only 10 minutes late. But looks like you were 20 minutes late. It will be unfair for the others who came in early, and I believe some of them came from a building farther than the English and History building," The professor uttered. Naruto looked down with a serious face and crumpled his fist inside his blazer's jacket.

_Damn it, dattebayo! Who chose this freakin' schedule anyway? I know the school-head was the one who created Shikamaru's schedule because he applied for scholarship. But I did not! How come the schedule that I submitted was different from what I have now? I bet I'm the only law student in this class. I mean, law and biology don't match at all, _Naruto thought to himself. He looked up at the professor and smiled at him as he nodded and headed to his seat. _Wait, could it be… no. Kakashi-jii-san wouldn't do such thing. I mean, he is the one who enrolled me in this school… Damn it! He changed my schedule? _The blond sat down and rested both his arms on the table, upon reaching his seat. _I wanted to be a great lawyer, to help people earn their rights. And aside from all the people who knew my dream, Kakashi-jii-san is the only person who understands me the most. The closes person to me, and he will do anything, everything, to help me reach that dream. And if he thinks that taking this subject will make it easier for me to reach it, then I'll take it! _He said to himself as he slowly rested his back on the backseat with a smile.

"Alright, my name is Professor Umino Iruka. Not Eureka, not Urika, but Iruka. Some students confuse my name with those words, for some reasons. But I will promise you that this class will be fun, and exciting."

_Exciting? Psh… you sound so boring right now, _the blond thought to himself as he pretends to listen.

"Now, I'll be explaining to you my rules. First of all, all students who are late for 15 minutes and above will have a punishment. Second, I don't…" The professor continued explaining his rules as he stands in front of his desk in the center of the platform. Naruto, on the other hand, decided to look around for a while, hoping to see familiar faces. He turned his head from left to right, and noticed that there are about ten columns of seats in the room, five on the right side and five on the left side, and nine rows. All seats are slightly diagonally positioned, following the semi-circle contour of the room. _So our room looks like a giant compass, and the professor's desk in the center. Woah, hanging out with geniuses like Sasuke and Shikamaru sure does motivate me sometimes. But Shikamaru's laziness is very contagious. _He said as he scanned every row in front of him, until someone caught his eyes, three rows and two columns away from him. _Short pink hair, red headband... it looks familiar. If only she would look to her right side. _And the girl did. Luckily, her pen fell on her right side and Naruto was able to catch a glimpse of her side profile. _Sakura! The girl in the café, _he said to himself, _I can't let her see me, not until I make a plan B if ever that teme ditches me. _He rested his right elbow on the desk and leaned his head on his palm, covering half of his face. Fortunately, the pink-haired girl didn't notice him. He remained his position for an hour, or until the class ended. He hurriedly stood up and headed to the door.

"Wait!" The professor shouted to the blonde as he saw him approached the door, "You have a punishment remember?"

Naruto slowly turned around and face the professor with a guilty smile. "Yeah, I haven't forgotten that. I was… I just… I got carried away, with all the students rushing outside like there's a stampede." He said as he laughed nervously.

"Okay, please come here. I'll be explaining your punishment soon." Iruka said. "Don't worry, Naruto. Haruno Sakura-san will be helping you with your punishment."

"What?" The blonde curiously asked as he turned to his left and saw the pink-haired girl approaches the professor's desk, parallel to his position. The girl noticed him, and unexpectedly made an eye contact.

_Sakura…_

_Naruto…_

"Alright. The two of you, please take your seat as I explain your punishments." The two followed Iruka's order quietly and sat on the two seats in front of the desk separated by the center aisle. "From this day forward, the two of you will be partners. Eventually all of you in the class will have a pair, and this thesis will be your final requirement for this semester. So it means that experimentations and theories will also be included in this report."

"So why pair us now if you're going to pair the others too? What makes _this _pair different from others-ttebayo?"

"Good question, Naruto. Your punishment is to research all the topics that we will encounter. I'll be giving you the syllabus later when we go to the faculty room. And I wanted the two of you to make a summary of each topic."

"When is it due?" the pink-haired girl asked. _Obviously, he did not answer the question. _She thought.

"Well, I'll be giving you the whole week to do the task. I know it is a short time, but a short summary will do. Can you guys do it?"

"Hai."

"Of course, dattebayo! Expect the best from the future lawyer." Naruto then bumped his fist in his chest to emphasize his point.

"Okay. You may leave now." _Geez, he surely got his father's looks, but I guess he got his personality from her mother, _Iruka thought as he observed the blond stood up and headed to the door, with both hands rested at the back of his head, followed by the pink-haired girl. When he heard a loud shout from the blond. "See you next week, Iruka-sensei!" He shook his head and sighed. _Yep, he got his mother's personality, _Iruka concluded.

"So you're a law student?" Sakura asked curiously with a smile as they walk down the hallway. _I wonder why he took this biology class. Well. Every student is required to take at least one course for the four general subjects which are Math, Science, English, and History. Maybe he ran out of choices for science courses._

"Yeah. How 'bout you?"

"Medical technology." _Yes! He should be smart, this is good. At least I won't have any problems with this punishment. We will finish this in no time, shannaro!_

"Wow. So you're planning to become a doctor?" _Yosh! She must be really smart. Guess I won't have any problem with this stupid punishment, but I can't rely on her. I need to outrun her so she can notice me. Yeah! I'll research ahead, she'll like me for that-ttebayo!_

"A surgeon to be exact, I wanted to be like our school head."

"I see. Are you close to her?" _Talk like a genius, most girls dig that… well, according to my observation with teme and his annoying fangirls._

"Not really. But she was the one who saved my father from death when I was young. It was also the day when I decided that I wanted to be like her. To be able to save people, especially the ones you love."

"That's deep. I want to save people too."

"Is that why you wanted to be a lawyer?"

"Yeah. I want to bring justice to people-ttebayo. I wanted to show them that I really am something."

"What do you mean by that?"

"A lot of people hated me when I was in grade school, because I'm an orphan, until I met this boy who became my best friend up till now." _And I really wish he will not ditch me. _"And as time passed by, people started seeing my potential. Then the next thing I knew, I have a group of people with me whom I call friends."

"That's a very touching story, Naruto." _For quirky-looking guy, he's actually kind and sweet. I admire his perseverance and strong determination. I wish I could be more like him._

"Oh, you know my name?" _She knows my name! _The blond said to himself, and gave her an awkward smile.

"Well, I heard that pig—er… the cashier woman, called you a while ago in the café."

"Oh, _right._ Yours is Sakura, right?"

"Hai. Sakura it is." _I wish he removes that weird smile on his face, it's creeping me out._

"So, you were late?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, I mixed up my Tuesday class with my Monday class, and I thought that science will start till noon. Good thing my friend checked my schedule. I was five minutes earlier than you." _Good thing Tenten accidentally grabbed my notebook where I glued my schedule._

"Oh… and Professor Iruka didn't give you a chance?"

"Sadly no." _That professor, he should be more considerate. It's our first day as college students. I want to punch him so bad, shannaro!_ "But it's okay. At least I'm paired with you than some random people in our class."

_She's glad to be paired with me! _Naruto thought to himself_. _"So, where do you want to go? I told my friend to meet us in the café at noon. We still have an hour."

"Oh." _Damn it, I really wanted to meet his friend to get this over with. Though, I never thought I'd feel at ease with Naruto in such short time, he seems trustworthy. This will be the first time that I'll trust a man after my break up. _"Do you want to go to the park?"

"Yeah-ttebayo! I also have a feeling that he'll be late."

"Why is that?"

"Well. His class ends exactly at noon, and I am not sure if he still has another class after that."

"I see… Well, the park's not that far, and there are food stalls there." said Sakura with a sweet smile on her face, which made Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"Sounds great!" _I hope there's a ramen stand there. I've been craving for it since last week. Then maybe… just maybe, she'll consider it as a date. Wait! Take it slowly. Girls don't like guys who takes them for granted. Well… according to Shikamaru's "story" about girls last time in the beach,_ Naruto thought to himself as he reminisced the time when the spiky brunet scolded him and Kiba when they were having a debate on who's going to have a girlfriend first. Upon reminiscing, he suddenly realized that they are almost near the park.

"Wow, I can see the park already." Naruto said as he sticks his hand on his forehead, covering the light coming from the sun from his eyes.

"Yeah, it's quite near the science building." Sakura replied while scanning the place for vacant bench.

The blonde noticed that his companion seems to know a lot about the place, like she's been in the university before. Out of curiosity, he gathered all his courage, took a deep breath and asked her, "Are you a shifter?"

The pink-haired girl stared at him for a few seconds. _Calm down, Sakura, you're in public. Darn it, why do people always ask me that question? First the costumers in the cafe, and now him? _"Why did you ask?" Sakura replied with a forced smile.

"Well, you seem to know a lot about the places here in the university, assuming that you're in the same batch as I am."

"Well, I'm a scholar. During this year's vacation, I took one of my classes in care of our school head. And during long breaks, I roam around the campus." Sakura explained. _And have you heard of the word "map"?_

"Oh… that explains it. Sorry if I—"

"Don't be. It's okay. You're not the first person to ask me that." Sakura replied calmly. "There's a vacant seat over there." She pointed out.

Naruto nodded and followed the pink-haired girl to the bench. As they draw near the bench, a familiar sight caught the blonde's attention.

"Oi! Shikamaru, Chouji!"

"Oy, Naruto!" the brunette said as they approach, the chubby guy waved at the blonde while holding a pack of chips on his other hand.

"What brings the two of you here?" Naruto asked.

_I hope they are not the one who found my clip, _Sakura thought to herself as she observed the tall man with a lazy expression on his face, and the chubby guy who continuously stocks chips on his mouth.

"Our professor dismissed us early because of some meeting. I decided to meet up with Chouji since his next class is at one o' clock." The brunette replied to his blond friend while giving short glances at Sakura. "Our professor is quite troublesome though. He smells like cigarette and he always excuse himself for five minutes to talk to someone. But I think he'll just excuse himself to smoke. Geez, I hate cigarettes, it suffocates me."

"Wow he sounds so cool!" the blond replied with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, he is cool. I was expecting his class to be boring because we're going to talk about wars and other troublesome stuffs. But I guess he's knowledgeable enough to joke around in class while lecturing us."

"I see, that is so cool-ttebayo!" Naruto replied with enthusiasm.

Then Shikamaru suddenly approached him and whispered, "Is that Hinata?"

The blond was startled with his question and backed away."Of course not! This is Sa… Sakura. Sakura, this is Shikamaru and Chouji." Naruto cleared out while flailing his hands in denial.

"Hi! Nice to meet you, Sakura-san." Said Chouji with a smile. _It's quite obvious that Naruto likes her. With his gestures and all, _the chubby guy thought to himself while observing the girl who was checking her phone. The brunette on the other hand, only managed to nod.

"Nice to meet you too, Chouji and Shikamaru. I'm sorry Naruto but I have to go." The pink-haired girl replied as she put back her phone inside her bag. "I have to go back to the café."

"Wh-why, dattebayo?" Naruto replied, shocked.

"Well, you see, I work at the café, and they currently need my help. I have to go. I'll see you later." She replied as she waved at them and walked away, leaving the three boys standing in front of the previously vacant bench.

"I almost forgot. I have to go to the flower shop and help Ino later at noon. Geez, this is too troublesome." The brunet complained as he watched his plans in the afternoon changes because of Ino's command, er… favor.

"Who's Ino?" the blonde asked curiously as he scratched his head with his right hand.

"Don't you remember her, Naruto?" Chouji asked, surprised.

"Chouji, you know her too?"

"We all know her, Naruto. I can't believe you forgot her. I guess you _really _got old." Shikamaru teased with his lazy expression.

"I _am_ trying to remember her, Shikamaru." _Who is this Ino anyway? Think Naruto, think! _He said to himself when a familiar word played in his head… _Baka! _"Oh!"

"You remembered her now, Naruto?" the brunette asked with an anxious expression.

"She was that ugly blonde girl who keeps on calling me idiot when we were young! Oh, and teme's_ number one_ fan girl." The blond replied with annoyance, "Geez, you're still in contact with her?"

"Well, it may seem troublesome, but I can't really avoid her. You know that our parents, including Chouji's, are old pals. And she's not that bitchy when you get to know her." Shikamaru replied, hoping to cool down his blond friend.

"Yeah, Shikamaru's right. And I wouldn't call her ugly nowadays if I were you." Said Chouji while opening another pack of chips.

"Why is that? I bet she's uglier now that it annoys her when someone calls her ugly." Naruto concluded.

"Well. Half true, but she's not the girl you used to know. She really did change, physically, but not her personality. She's still loud." Shikamaru replied, which made Naruto laugh. _Geez_, _I wonder what's making him laugh._

"Shikamaru, Naruto, I have to go." The chubby guy interrupted.

"But you still have two hours before your next class starts." Naruto pointed out with a pout.

"It's not that…" Chouji replied with a guilty smile as he showed the two empty packs of chips to his friends. "I'll see you later!" He continued as he waved goodbye at his two friends and immediately walked away from them to look for a store.

"Chouji never changed. He still loves chips. He'll get different kinds of sickness when he grows old." Naruto said with a foxy grin.

"I know. It's quite troublesome though. Ino and I tried to control his eating habits, but we always fail. Even his own parents can't control him."

"Damn it! It makes me pissed off now that I remember her!" The blond exclaimed as he repeatedly slapped his face.

"Woah, relax. It's not your fault though. If I were you I would probably hate her too, by the way she treated you before. It's just not nice." _But I can't blame her either, he's a very troublesome and idiotic person. Makes me wonder how Sasuke managed to become close to him. It took me years to become this close to him, but Sasuke never for once, had a problem dealing with the troublesome man. Though, Naruto is kind of cool when you get to know him. _The spiky brunet thought

"Maybe when I come with you later and meet her again, I cou—"

"No!" The spiky brunet exclaimed, startling the blonde who was standing in front of him.

"Why not?"

"Well… today's not the right time." The brunet replied for he was planning to ditch Ino.

"Why not?" Naruto repeated, a curious expression plastered on his face.

"Geez, you ask so many questions. Let's just eat somewhere alright?"

"Fine, fine, you're just planning to ditch that girl and watch the clouds instead."

"I am not!" The brunette exclaimed, "I wanted to, but men are not suppose to ditch ladies."

"Yeah, you and your _troublesome_ _gentleman_ attitude." The blond replied as he leads the way, crossing his hands behind his head_._

"Oi!" the brunette called, "This way." He continued as he pointed to the route opposite to where the blond was going.

"But I saw a ramen stand over there."

"Geez, all you eat is ramen. Why don't you eat properly?"

"I am eating properly!" The blond exclaimed. The brunette sighed and lazily followed the blonde who was heading to the ramen stand, Ichiraku. _There is no point in arguing with this troublesome person, _Shikamaru thought to himself as he sighed once more.

The stand has a bar-like counter that can occupy five seats. The color of the tent is beige with its name written on a long cloth in red paint hanging in front of the tent like a curtain. Naruto entered and sat in the seat on the center. Shikamaru followed and sat on the seat next to him on the right.

"Yo pops, one pork ramen, please!"

"Sure thing lad, how about you?" The old man replied as he faced the two lads.

"Chicken ramen." _Geez, I'm not really a fan of ramen, and I got used eating in that barbeque restaurant where Chouji always drags me to eat. But I guess I have no choice right now, _The brunette thought as he observed his blonde friend who became quiet and serious.

"Oi, Naruto. What's wrong?" _I guess something's really bothering him. Whatever it is it must have been killing him. I rarely see him with this kind of expression._

"Shikamaru…" The blonde replied solemnly, the brunette faced him with a worried face."How did you become Temari's boyfriend?" The blonde asked seriously while staring at the glass of water that the daughter of the cook gave them.

The brunette, who was currently drinking, choked and stared blankly at the blond with eyes wide open and asked incredulously. "What is this, some kind of joke?" _Geez, and I thought for a moment he was having a big problem. Why would he want to know such things… Mendokuse… _

"I'm just curious. You're not the type of guy who would not pick up girls easily like _Sasuke. _You're a bit introvert and always play chess all by yourself, or watch the clouds _all by yourself._"

The brunet observes his blond friend and gave him a long sigh. "It's a long story, and it's too trouble—"

"C'mon, tell me." The blond pleaded, "It happened while I was gone right?"

"Yeah. After you left, Gaara's cancer got worst and he has to be bed-ridden. All of us visited him once in a while, until his older brother, Kankuro, asked me a favour if I could help Gaara with his studies."

"Wait, why you? I know you're smart and all, but you're one of the students who are flunking in class, alongside with Kiba and Chouji."

"I don't know either. Maybe all of them refused—"

"Even fuzzy-brow?"

"Will you let me finish?" the brunette sighed. _Geez, telling long stories to Naruto sure is troublesome._

"Alright, so you did his favour?"

"I have no choice since all of them are busy with training and family business. Unfortunately, I'm the only one available. And since Gaara was too sick, Kankuro took his place as the manager of their company for a while until he recovers, leaving Temari with me in the hospital taking care of him."

"Oh… So what happened?" Naruto asked, the brunette sighed and remained silent since the answer was pretty much obvious.

"Here are your ramen, lads. Enjoy!" The cook said as he served their ramen.

"Itadakimasu!" The blond exclaimed as he grabbed his wooden chopsticks and break it into two. The brunet did the same and ate quietly until he finally realized Naruto's purpose for asking him about Temari.

"Oi, Naruto. That pink-haired girl, you like her huh?"

"Yeah." The blond replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Take it slowly, get to know her first. Things will just happen at the right time. But for now, just be the person she can call friend."

"Dude, I don't want to be friend-zoned—"

"If you two are meant to be together, she would not friend-zoned you." The brunet concluded. The blond remained silent as he finished his ramen.

"I guess you're right!" The blond replied cheerfully as he grabbed his bowl and sipped the remaining broth. The brunette smiled with contentment and did the same thing.

"Ah… Pops, this is the best ramen I've ever tasted!" Naruto said to the cook cheerfully as he wiped his mouth with the sleeves of his blazer.

"Nothing but the best from Ichiraku's ramen!" The daughter of the cook exclaimed as the cook laughed. The two lads laughed with them until Naruto's phone rang. He took it out from his bag and realized that he had received several messages and one missed call from the Hyuuga.

"That's weird, Neji texted me, I wonder what it is." Naruto worriedly. Knowing Neji, he would only text or calls his friends if there's a problem, and if he wanted to meet them urgently.

"Maybe it's an emergency." _Geez, a lot of people are having problems today. First, my mother complaining about my dad going home drunk with Ino's father, then Ino with her flower shop, Naruto with girl problems. Now Neji… _The brunet complained to himself as he sighed. _Looks like I won't be able to watch the clouds today._

Naruto stood up from his chair, and stared at his phone with eyes wide open, "What is it, Naruto?" the spiky brunet urgently asked.

"It's Hinata, she was sent to the university's hospital few minutes ago."

"Why, what happened?"

"Heat stroke, Neji's asking us if we could watch over her for a while. His next class will start in five minutes."

"The hospital is not that far from the park, we'll be there in a minute."

"Yosh, let's go!" Naruto off in a jiff, leaving the brunet startled in the stall.

"You're not forgetting to pay, right?" The cook asked the brunette with a smile while holding his hand up for the payment. Shikamaru sighed and reached for his money inside his pocket, and followed the blond afterwards who seemed to be wandering around under the tree like a lost puppy.

"This way," Shikamaru shouted to the blonde as he led the way to the hospital.

"How come everyone seems to know the directions here?" Naruto asked, devastated.

_That's why the university send us a map through email. This day becoming more troublesome, _the brunet said to himself as he sighed for the nth time today.

* * *

Naruto rushed to the reception area and asked for Hinata's room.

"Room 315, 3rd floor." The nurse replied.

"Thank you!" The blond replied as he grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him to the third floor. As they reached the floor, they saw Neji sitting all alone in the visitor's chair outside Hinata's room.

"Neji, what happened?" Naruto asked as he rushed towards Neji.

"I'm not sure. The doctor said that it might be heat stroke since the weather today's hotter than usual, but they still need to examine her." Neji uttered worriedly. "I don't even know how to explain this to Hiashi-sama. He was counting on me to take care of her."

"Are they examining her right now?" The spiky brunet asked thoughtfully. Neji nodded, then he stood up and faced his two friends, "Thank you for coming, I can't contact the others."

"Yeah, all of them are still in class." Shikamaru replied, "But I can't stay for long, I have to go soon."

"Oh yeah, me too." The blond said immediately.

"Is that so, can you try calling the others? My last class will end at 6pm and—"

"Don't worry-ttebayo! Leave it to me." The blond interrupted cheerfully. Neji gave them a small smile and headed to the stairs leaving his two friends in the hallway. _As expected from Naruto, _Neji thought, being confident about his decision for calling the blond first.

"Geez, what a troublesome day."

"Don't say that Shikamaru. Think of it as a good excuse to ditch—"

"You know I can't do that, Naruto. Besides, she'll kill me if I do that."

"Geez, you are weak when it comes to girls."

"Hey!"

"You may come in now," The nurse said as she peeked from the door and closed it again. The two stared at each other and quietly entered the room.

"She'll be needing lots of rest, and please tell her cousin that she needs these medicines, he can buy it in the—" The doctor stopped as she turned around and saw a brunet guy and a blond in front of her, "I thought her cousin is a dark-haired man."

"Oh, he left for class, but he asked us to take care of her." Shikamaru replied with a polite nod.

"I see." The doctor replied. Naruto stared and observed the female doctor from head to toe like he saw her before.

"Ah!" the blonde uttered as he remembered something, "You're Tsunade-obaa-chan!" The blond exclaimed. Shikamaru hurriedly covered his mouth with both of his hands as he noticed Hinata's nose wrinkled.

"Not too loud, baka. We're inside the hospital." The brunet whispered to Naruto as he gently released his friend's mouth.

"Oh, I remember now, you're Jiraiya's godson. It's nice to see you too."

"Wait. Why are you here?"

"Well, apparently I'm the new head of this university."

"Wow, that's great!" The blond replied cheerfully, then her words slowly sinks in to his head. "What?" Naruto exclaimed and the brunette immediately covered his mouth once more. He pushed the brunet's hand away from him and wiped his mouth with the sleeves of his blazer, "The new head of the university? What happened to the old man?"

"You know the deceased principal personally?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he was the one who helped me get into the university. I guess it has something to do also with my parents since both of them graduated and worked here—wait…" Naruto halted and stared blankly at Shikamaru, "Deceased?"

"That's right, he died of old age. And his last request was for me or your pervert godfather to take over the school." Tsunade replied with her arms crossed in her chest.

"Wait… why you? You're old and—"

"Baka! I am one of his first students, including that bastard, Jiraiya." The doctor replied in annoyance, "Anyway, give this to her cousin and tell him to buy it as soon as possible. Or better yet, buy it now. She needs to take it when she wakes up." The doctor said as she passed it to Naruto, "Don't create too much noise, she needs lots of rest." She said to the two lads as she exited. Naruto and Shikamaru stared at each other in disbelief.

"Geez, I can't believe you know her."

"I can't believe she's the new school head!" The blond exclaim, but immediately lowered his voice down when he noticed that Shikamaru was attempting to cover his mouth once more.

"Geez, it's too troublesome to argue with you. Give me the paper."

"Why should I? Tsunade-obaa-chan handed it over to me."

"I'll buy the medicines prescribed by her. Since she might wake up anytime, it's better if the person who is watching over her is someone she knows than a stranger."

"Why is that?" The blond asked curiously.

Shikamaru sighed and took the paper from the blond's hand. "Just stay here and watch over her, I'll be back in few minutes."

"Alright, alright. Be back soon. I need to go somewhere in forty minutes."

"Like you're the only one who has to leave..." The brunette whispered to himself as he headed to the door. "Oh, try communicating with the others for our replacement."

"Yeah, yeah." The blond replied as he made himself comfortable with the blue sofa parallel to Hinata's bed. Shikamaru sighed once more and approached the blond. "Oi, you're forgetting something."

"What is it now, dattebayo?" The blond looked up at the spiky brunet who was standing in front of him with his left hand reaching towards him. "What do you want?"

"You could have at least contributed, I already paid for our lunch. I don't have much money left. And besides, Neji will return the money we spent for her medicines as soon as he gets back." The brunet explained to the blond, slowly and clearly.

Naruto grabbed his bag on the floor handed his wallet to the brunet. "Here, take it."

"Naruto, I know I was quite demanding when I was asking money from you, but you don't have to—"

"It's okay, Shikamaru, it's for Hinata. Anyway, Neji will surely return the money we'll be spending for her medicines, right?" Naruto grinned at the brunet and gave him a thumbs-up. "Besides, I trust you. And I also noticed that some brands of the medicines are quite infamous, it must cost a lot." The blond continued as he glanced at Hinata. _You'll be alright, Hinata._

"Alright, I'll be going then." Shikamaru replied as he exited the room. _Geez, he may be troublesome, but he sure does have a big heart, _the brunet thought as he walked down the hallway, in search for the drug store.

It's been a while since Shikamaru left and it was almost time for him to go to the café for the meet-up. "Darn it, Shikamaru where the hell are you?" He uttered to himself while tapping the screen of his phone, when he suddenly received a text message from the said brunet:

_Oy, Naruto. The medicines cost more than I thought. And I just found the drug store. It was located at the other end of the hospital, 10 minutes away from Hinata's room. Have you contacted the others? Maybe they can stop here first and contribute some money._

_Damn it! _Naruto uttered to himself, "And no one's even replying to one of my messages-ttebayo! What should I do? I can't just leave Hinata all alone."

Just when the blonde was about to lose hope, his phone rang, and this time it was a phone call from the other brunet.

"Kiba!"

"_Yo, foxy! Where the heck are you? I'm here at the hospital."_

"Where exactly in the hospital?"

"_I don't know. But there's a drug store nearby."_

"What drugstore?"

"_Dude, there's only one drugstore here. Want me to buy something?"_

"Go inside! Shikamaru's waiting for you there, he'll explain everything!"

"_Alright, alright, chill man."_

"This is not the time to chill! Hinata will wake up soon."

"_Alright alright."_ The brunette replied calmly, before he took a short pause.

"Hey, Kiba, still with me?"

"_Did you just said, Hinata?"_

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Then the blond remembered. "This is the start of your mission."

"_Mission? Oi, Naruto, don't—"_

"You said… you said you'd help me. A man never takes back his words." The blond replied solemnly.

"_Yeah, I guess. Be there in a jiffy."_ Then the brunet hung up.

The blond waited, and waited as he sat on the sofa with both arms on his lap, until he could not wait any longer. He grabbed his phone and was about to call the two brunets when they entered the room in the nick of time.

"What took you so long?" The blond cried out as he rushed to the two brunets.

"Oi, Naruto, stop nagging us, have you forgotten that we were the one who spent for _your girl's_ medicines?" Kiba replied in annoyance.

"Teme, the money you spent for _your girl's _medicine is _my_ money."

"Well I contributed!"

"Yeah whatever…"

"Geez, what the heck's wrong with these two?" Shikamaru uttered to himself as he stared at his two friends arguing about money, medicines, and _their girl_. Shikamaru was about to cover their mouths when his phone vibrated. He took it out from his pocket, and his curious and lazy expression lightened up when he discovered that the text was from _his_ beloved blondie:

_Hey! Are you free? Want to eat lunch together? I'm here at the park._

The brunette immediately placed his phone back to his pocket and faced his two friends, who lowered their voice after hearing a short grunt from the sleeping girl, and stared at them for few seconds, _I guess I don't need to say goodbye to them properly, nice to meet you though, Hinata-san. _The brunet thought to himself as he glanced at the said girl.

"Oi, Kiba, Naruto. I have to go." Shikamaru said as he waved goodbye to them while heading to the door.

"Oi, Shika—" Naruto was about to stop him but the spiky brunet already left, leaving him all alone with Kiba and Hinata. "I guess you're his replacement."

"Geez, I know what I promised earlier. I wasn't expecting it to start immediately."

"What are you talking about, Kiba?" The blond asked curiously as he sat on the sofa, the brunet sat next to him after. "You don't have to do it. It's stupid to make someone fall for you. I know you're quite skilled when it comes to girls, but you might end up hurting her in the end." The blond continued as he lean his back on the backrest with both arms crossed behind his head.

"I guess you're right," The brunette replied calmly as he rested both arms on his lap, rubbing his left thumb with his right hand. "So, what's your plan?"

"I don't know, Kiba. I don't want to hurt her too." The blond replied as he lean his elbow on the armrest and rub his forehead.

"You like someone else, huh?" The brunet smirked at the blond as he faced him.

"Yeah. She's my classmate in biology, working at the café."

"Café near your condominium? Dude, that's cool!"

"Yeah." The blonde replied uncomfortably, "I think it's not appropriate to talk about this kind of stuff here."

"Yeah you're right." The brunet replied when the blond immediately rummaged his pocket to silence his ringing phone. "What is it, man?"

"It's Sasuke. I ask him to meet me."

"Is he your replacement?"

"No," the blonde stood up and headed to the corner of the room the answer the call.

_"Oi dobe! Where are you? I thought we're going to meet?"_

"Teme! Stop calling me that. Where are you?"

"_In front of the main gate—"_

"Good! Just head to the cafe, I'll meet you there."

"_I just called—"_

"I'll be there in few minutes. I'm here at the hospital because…"

"_Naru—"_

"Hinata's sick and—"

"_I can't."_ The raven deadpanned. The blonde paused for a while as he tried to sink in the raven's words, making Kiba worry. _I wonder what they're talking about. Naruto looks problematic… or is his stomach aching? _The brunette thought to himself.

"What?" The blond finally uttered, "But you said you—" He was about to continue when the raven ended the call. "Damn it!"

"Oi, Naruto. Something's wrong?"

"Nothing," The blond deadpanned and immediately grabbed his bag on the floor near Hinata's bed.

"Oi, where are you going? Oi!"

"You're Shikamaru's replacement right? Just stay here and watch over her."

"Hey! Don't boss me around—"

"I texted the others, they'll be here soon."

"Oi!" the brunette was about to stop him but Naruto immediately exited the door and slammed it. "Damn him." He uttered angrily, still facing the door while seated on the sofa, "What am I going to do now?" The brunet uttered problematically as he gazed back at the sleeping girl. "She might freak out when she wakes up with some stranger watching over her."

* * *

Naruto rushed into the main gate of the university and saw the raven crossing the streets. Without looking at the stop light, that happens to turn green, he crossed the street without hesitation. Just when a truck of milk products was about to bump him, someone dragged him back to the main gate.

"What the—" The blond turned around and saw the raven standing in front of him with an emotionless face. The blonde was about to get happy when he realized that it was the other raven. "What the hell, Sai? Why did you do that?"

"I didn't know you were planning to commit suicide—"

"I wasn't planning to commit suicide you freak!" the blond snarled.

The raven sighed and pointed at the stop light, "It turned green when you cross the street. I was able to drag you just before the truck hit you."

"Oh." The blonde looked down, feeling sorry for shouting at his friend who saved his life.

"Why were you in such a rush?" The raven inquired curiously.

"Nothing." The blond replied. The sun's glare reflecting from Sai's watch caught Naruto's attention and noticed that it was noon. "Oh no, I'm in big trouble, dattebayo!" The blond said as he panicked in front of the clueless raven.

_What is happening to him? Oh! I read this in the book. If your friend is having a problem, pat him gently in the shoulder,_ the raven thought to himself. Sai moved closer to his blond friend, who seemed to be losing himself, and placed his arm around his shoulder and patted it. The blond, on the other hand, stiffened, and glanced at the raven with a terrified expression, and immediately pushed the thoughtful raven.

"What the hell was that for-ttebayo?" He said as he watched poor Sai fell on the ground, landing on his posterior.

"I was—" The raven paused as he tried to stand up, only to discover that he's on a kneeling position, and staring blankly at the blond who glanced back at him with eyes wide open.

"Get away from me you freak!" The blond exclaimed and immediately ran away from the raven.

"Naruto, it's not what you think!" The raven shouted as he chased the blond. "Naruto!"

Naruto ran and ran, until he decided to stop for a while to catch his breath when… "Naruto?"

"Ah!" The blond shouted as felt someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned around and to his surprise, it's the pink haired girl.

"Sa… Sakura…-chan?" The blond stuttered while trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay? Is someone chasing you? Geez, you're a bit early. Want to come inside and have a drink?" Sakura replied calmly and smiled at the blond.

Naruto was about to accept her offer when he remembered that he gave his wallet to Shikamaru. "I wanted to but—"

"It's okay, my treat." Sakura cheerfully offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Naruto!"

"Ah!" The blonde shouted once more as someone tapped him again from his back. He looked around and went pale when he saw the raven standing in front of him.

"Do you know him?" The pink-haired girl asked curiously to the blond, but the said blond made no response to the rosette.

"Oh, hi there!" The raven said cheerfully to her, snapping Naruto back to earth.

"Sa-Sakura, this is my friend Sai. Sai, she's Sakura." The blond stuttered.

The raven moved in closer to the pink-haired girl and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you…" The raven said cheerfully with a smile. Sakura took his hand and smiled back at him, until the last word came out from the raven's mouth. "Ugly." Naruto's jaw dropped upon hearing the word from Sai, while Sakura struggles in composing herself.

"You were joking, right?" Naruto said to Sai as he grabbed the raven away from the rosette. "Baka, don't say such things to girls!" he whispered to Sai. "From now on, do as I say, okay?"

"But how will I—"

"Just ride on to the things that I'll say if you don't want to get hurt." Naruto insisted.

"Alright." The raven whispered back and sighed after. The two guys followed the rosette inside the café, who was hoping that the raven was not the one who found her clip.

_Damn that Sai. I want to send him to hell, shannaro!_ The pink-haired girl said to herself.

Sakura led them to their seat and went inside the counter to serve the two guys some pastries and cold juice.

"Hey, hey, hey—" The blonde girl seized Sakura who was heading to the food display.

"I'll pay for them, pig." She replied as the blonde let her pass. The said blonde raised an eye brow and glared at the rosette.

"Oh, pig eh. Why don't you hide that wide forehead of yours and help me here?"

"There are only few customers here, Ino. And besides, I have visitors." Sakura deadpanned. Ino turned away from Sakura, allowing her long blonde hair in pony flip. She leaned on the counter and glanced at the flower area, when the black haired guy with the blond she met earlier caught her attention. "Speaking of visitors, that black-haired guy looks cute."

"He sure does. But believe me, looks can be deceiving." Sakura replied with an irritated voice as she passed by Ino and headed to the beverages area.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked, still eyeing the raven, _he sure resembles to someone, I wonder who… Shit! _"Sakura, don't you think that black-haired guy looks familiar?" Sakura peeked from the counter and shook her head "He looks common to me."

"Hey, introduce them to me, would you?" The blonde asked, still eyeing the raven.

"No way, this is not the time to hunt boys, now get back to work." Sakura replied calmly as she put everything in the tray and headed to the two boys who were waiting.

_Speak for yourself, forehead girl. _Ino thought as she watched her friend join the two guys. _Well, if you don't want to introduce them to me, then I'll introduce myself._ Ino was about to head towards Sakura and her company when,

"Hey! Where are you going? And where is Shikamaru? I thought he said he'll help us?" The brunette from the kitchen shouted to Ino.

"I don't know either, Tenten." Ino replied with a shrug. "Geez, where is that slug anyway?" _I know he's lazy, but he's true to his words, and he was never late. I'm sure he has a good explanation why he's not yet around._

* * *

"Oi!"

"What?"

"You can't move that."

"What do you mean I can't?" The blonde asked in disbelief.

The brunette sighed and pointed the white queen who was checking the black king. "You have to protect your king first."

"This game sucks." The blonde ranted as she leaned on the tree and crossed her arms to her chest.

"Yeah, it sucks at first, but it's quite fun once you get used to playing it." The brunette replied as he put the chess pieces inside the pouch.

"Geez, you are old." The blonde teased.

"Speak for yourself, troublesome woman."

"Who's troublesome?"

The brunet sighed and glanced at the blonde. "You." He then gave her a rare smirk afterwards. The blonde rolled her eyes and stared at the clouds.

"When will you introduce me to them?" The blonde asked, still looking at the clouds. The brunet fell silent for a while and lied on the grass with his bag under his head.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Shikamaru." The blonde replied calmly. "Do you have any particular reason why you don't want me to introduce to your friends?"

"Why would you want such troublesome things to happen?"

"It bothers me." There was a pause between the two. "Do we always have to hang together secretly?" The blonde asked as she looked down at the lying brunet next to her, but he remained silent as he watched the clouds goes by.

"Oi, Shikamaru, are you still with me? Or the clouds dragged you somewhere—"

"It also bothers me…" The brunette finally uttered. The blonde stared at him, waiting for any continuation from his sentence, "It bothers me that we always have to see each other behind my friends' back. It is also bothering me when they kept on asking about you. But it's just too troublesome—"

"—to tell them." The blonde continued, "I still don't get your point, but after all, you're just a kid." The blonde replied as she stood up and looked at the brunet who was moved by her words. _Finally, I got his attention, _the blond thought to herself. "You may have the brains of a man, but your actions are still childish for me to handle." She uttered as she gave him a teasing smirk and left.

_Geez, Temari. Why do you have to be so frank? You really are a troublesome woman, _the brunette thought as he sighed and stood up. "I guess there's no other reason for me to stay here. Better head to the flower shop before another blonde girl lecture me about my manhood." He said to himself as he grabbed his bag and headed to his next destination.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, another brunette encountered a problem when Hinata woke up and stared at him with scared eyes.

"I... I'm not going to hurt you." The brunette said as he sat upright in the sofa with both hand on his lap like a good boy. He tried to give her a friendly smile but it scared her more. _Geez, I knew this is going to happen. Where is Naruto? Don't tell me I have to handle this all by myself? _"I won't hurt you… I'm your cousin Neji's friend."

"It... It's not that." The girl finally replied, as she pointed at the backrest. The brunette followed her finger and saw a thumb-sized, shiny, black spider next to him. He immediately stood up and tried hammering it with his notebook but the spider was too fast, until he finally got it and threw it outside the window.

"Phew. That was close. Good thing it's not the poisonous one. Nice one eyeing that creature!" He said to the girl as he turn his head and gave her a thumbs-up and a feral grin.

"Thank you." The girl replied weakly, "Where is Neji-nii-san?"

"He has class. But he'll be here soon. But for now, I'm your company." The brunet replied as he closed the window. "Oh, my name is Kiba." He said as he faced the girl. "Yours is Hinata, right?"

"H… Hai." She replied timidly, her fingers unconsciously playing the hem of the hospital's blanket.

"I almost forgot. Naruto told me to give you these medicines," Kiba said as he rummaged his pocket and took out the medicine. He headed to the table next to her bed and prepared her a glass of water.

"Naruto-kun was here?"

"Yeah. He just left, but I'm not sure why. He was in a hurry after taking a phone call." He replied as he put the medicine and water in the tray, then he noticed the girl's sad face. "But I think he has class. I mean, he is ranting about his Monday schedule a while ago." He continued as he reclined Hinata's bed gently until she's in a sitting position.

"He always rants at stuffs." Hinata replied with a shy smile.

_She sure is different from what Naruto told me. But she seems okay, though she does speak really softly. But over all she's alright, _Kiba thought until he remembered something. "Wait, you can't take your medicine yet with an empty stomach." Kiba said as he rushed towards his bag and rummaged it. Until a low, high-pitched bark echoed in the silent room.

"Is that a puppy?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Ah… No, It's my, um… ringtone… Yeah, my ringtone—woof, woof." The brunette immediately replied when a puppy's head peaked from his bag.

"It is a puppy," Hinata said cheerfully, smiling at the puppy. "Why are you hiding it inside your bag?"

"I found him in the corner of the main gate this morning. He looked homeless so I decided to keep him." The brunet replied as he scratched his head and continued to rummage his bag while avoiding the sleeping puppy that seemed to be dreaming.

"Wasn't he noisy while you were in your class?"

"Nah, not at all, I just gave him my… darn it! So that's where it went." The brunet suddenly exclaimed and slapped a hand on his face.

"What is it?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"My sandwich. I was about to give it to you when I remembered that I gave it to this pup so he would remain silent in the class." Kiba replied as he sat down on the sofa, petting the sleeping puppy in his bag.

"It's alright. I have food inside my bag."

"Really?"

"Yeah, though I don't know where they put it."

"What does it looked like?"

"It's a blue backpack."

"Found it." Kiba replied as he grabbed the bag under her bed and gently handed it to the owner. She took out two sandwiches from her bag and gently dropped the bag on the floor with Kiba's help.

"There you go! Now eat it all up so you can take your medicine." He said cheerfully and gave her a big smile. Hinata shyly smiled back and reached the other sandwich to him.

"Here you go!" she said while looking down, handing the other sandwich to Kiba.

"But it's—"

"I was supposed to give it to Naruto-kun, but it's yours now." She replied with a smile as she insisted it to Kiba, still looking down.

The brunette gently accepted the sandwich from her and smiled back. "Don't mind if I do." They both smiled at each other and ate the sandwich together.

"Does he have a name yet?" Hinata asked as she looked at the puppy.

"Nope, I haven't named him yet. I can't think of a proper name to give him." Kiba replied as he looked at the puppy and rubbed his head.

"How about Akamaru?" Hinata suggested. Kiba glanced at her and saw a sweet smile on her face, making her eyes squint.

"Where did you get that name?" Kiba asked cheerfully. "It sounds so cool."

"Uh… I got it from your bag." Hinata replied bashfully.

"Huh?" the brunette replied as he curiously stared at Hinata.

"Well, the color of your bag is red, so I thought of _Aka_. But it would sound weird if you call him Aka, so I combined it with _Maru_ since most of the guys in my class names ends with that word." She explained.

Kiba managed to reply a smile. _I never thought she'd be this cool, for a shy-type like her, she's quite awesome, _he thought to himself and returned his gaze back at the puppy who is still sleeping comfortably inside his widely opened backpack.

"Alright, your name from now on is Akamaru…" Kiba said while facing the puppy. "You should thank Hinata-chan for giving you that name," He continued as he patted the puppy's head. Hinata giggled and both of them continued eating their sandwiches while sharing their experiences during their first day of school as college students.

**_-End of Part 2-_**

_The person…_

_Who got away, promised to never come back_

_Is about to come... are you prepared?_


	3. Unfinished Business

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 3**

******-Unfinished Business-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

I also changed some parts in the chapter, so you guys might want to re-read it again. Yeah. Thank ya'll for sparing your time to read my fic. I really appreciate it, from the bottom of my… feet... just kidding... Here's the newly edited part 3 folks!

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!  
[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

**_-Previously-_**

While the two boys waited patiently as the pink-haired girl went to the kitchen to serve them something to eat, Naruto finally had a wonderful back up plan for his clip-owner-problem, since his tomato-lover friend ditched him minutes before the meet-up.

"You have to pretend that you were the one who found this clip," The blonde demanded to the raven as he took out the clip from his blazer's pocket and showed it to him, while waiting patiently to the pink-haired girl.

The raven stared at it curiously and remembered the day when they went to the beach. "But aren't you the one who found it?"

"I know. Just pretend that you found it." The blonde insisted.

"But… wait." The raven paused for a while as he rubbed his chin, "I read this in the book I borrowed yesterday in the library. When our friend is asking you a favour to cover him, something bad happened." The raven concluded, "So I'm guessing you've put yourself into trouble. But it is quite given already, I mean, troublesome things does follow you—"

"It's not like that, Sai!" Naruto pointed out. "Just do as I say, okay? I'll explain it later."

"Alright." The raven replied with a smile as he took out a book from his bag.

Meanwhile, whilst the boys were having their own conversation, there was a similar situation back in the counter area between the two girls,

"Hey, introduce them to me, would you?" the blonde girl asked the pink-haired girl who was placing the pastries and drinks in the tray.

"This is not the perfect time to hunt boys, Ino. Just do your work." The pink haired girl replied calmly as she headed towards the two boys.

* * *

"Hey guys! Sorry if I took so long." The pink-haired girl said as she sat down on the chair next to the blonde.

"It's okay-ttebayo. Are you sure we're not paying for these?"

"No. It's on me." _Whatever, as long as that bastard Sai won't eat too much. _

"Like what I've said early this morning. I would bring my friend who found your clip."

"Oh, so you found the clip, Sai?" _Damn it! Of all people, why him? It would be better if Naruto was the one who found it. Why am I even interested to know who found that darn clip? It's just an object from my past. Or was it?_

"Hai," The raven replied with a sincere smile. _The book said, you have to smile sincerely to captivate a girl's heart, _the raven thought as the pink-haired girl joined them in the table

"I'm so glad to finally meet the person who found it." _He does look kind of cute when he smiles, _she thought as she replied with a smile.

"I think it's working,"The raven murmured to himself. The blonde's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the book on Sai's lap entitled, _How to Catch a Girl's Attention_.

_Geez, Sai, how many times do I have to tell you that you cannot rely on books the whole time-ttebayo? _The blond thought and sighed.

"Is there something wrong, Naruto?" the pink haired girl asked as she heard the blonde sighed.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's really, really nothing, dattebayo." The blonde replied while flailing his hands. Sakura stared at him and give him a sweet smile, which made Naruto's body stiffen.

_Something's weird in here, _the raven thought while observing Naruto's gestures, _I think I know why Naruto's asking me to do this,_ he concluded as he nodded and smiled.

"Oi! Forehead girl, someone's calling you!" The blonde girl shouted from the counter two tables away from them. Sakura crumpled her fists on her lap and glared at the blondie, "Yes, I'm coming, Ino-pig!" she replied to the blonde as she stood up, and glanced at the two boys who stared blankly at her. "I'll be right back," Then she smiled and left the two.

"Geez, they kind of scared me for few seconds." The blonde said as he watched the pink-haired girl disappear in the counter area and headed to the kitchen.

"By the way they call each other; I think they're best friends," Sai concluded as he took down notes. "The blonde girl calls Sakura forehead girl, while Sakura calls the blonde girl Ino-pig." He murmured, when someone unexpectedly smack his head from behind, "Ouch!" he immediately glanced at the blonde who was glaring at him.

"Why the hell are you taking down notes-ttebayo?!" he said angrily to the raven.

"So I could get to know her more. How would I pretend to be the person who found her precious clip if I don't know anything about her?" he calmly replied to the blonde. "According to the book, you should know some few things about the person for your disguise to succeed," He continued and smiled at the blonde who is currently staring at him with uncertainty. The blonde mused about it as he rubbed his chin, "You do have a point."

"Ano…" the raven interrupted.

"What is it, Sai?"

"You like her, huh?" the raven asked. The blonde turned red and immediately looked down on his lap.

"What's with that question?"

"Well, according to my observations, when you're in front of the person you like, you act different and smile a lot." The raven replied, "Am I right?"

"Yeah." The blonde replied, still looking down.

"Is that why you wanted me to pretend? You want me to get to know her more for you and act as a bridge?"

"Not really. It's just a stupid mistake that I made earlier."

"Earlier?" the raven asked curiously.

"It's a long story. But I stuttered when she asked about the clip and told her that my friend found it instead of telling the truth, that I was the one who found it."

"Ah… love at first sight."

"Yeah, something like that." Naruto's expression softened as he pictured Sakura's smile and green eyes.

While Ino was wiping the counter, and eyeing the raven and the blonde at the same time, a beautiful, model-like girl entered the café. She was wearing a blue knee-length floral dress and sandals with one-inch high heels and white laces wrapped around her ankles. She has a long, straight blonde hair that flows up to her waist, and side bangs same length as her face. Her eyes were very teal that it seemed unreal, and she walked in with elegance and modesty. Ino watched her with awe as the girl walked down the aisle. The girl stopped upon eyeing the two boys, two tables away from the counter and stared at them who seemed to be having a serious conversation, which made Ino curious, but decided not to get involved in situations her friend usually calls, _troublesome._

"I was hoping I'd see you later in the evening, but I guess fate's just too cruel for me," The blonde girl said as she approached the two guys.

The blonde guy looked up and stared at the girl approaching them with eyes wide open. The raven stared curiously at Naruto, wondering what was making him look so surprised. Then he followed his gaze and saw the blonde girl approaching them. The blonde stood up to meet up with the girl with teary eyes. They smiled at each other and opened their arms, preparing to hug each other when...

"Ouch-ttebayo!" the blonde guy cried out as the blonde girl slapped him with both hands like cymbals. "What was that for?"

"Quit shouting, is that how you welcome your long lost..." the blonde girl trailed off as she stared at the angry and confused blonde in front of her.

"Tell that to yourself-ttebayo!"

"Whatever-ttebane."

"What's happening here?" the raven murmured as he stared questioningly at the two blondes who are arguing with each other.

"Geez, Ero-sennin was right, you did change a lot. But I wasn't expecting you'd change in a bad way, Naruko."

"And you're still dumb as ever, Naruto-_nii-chan_!" Naruko mocked, making Naruto more irritated.

"Naruto-nii-chan? How come Naruto never told us that he has a sister?" the raven muttered once more while observing the blonde girl that looks exactly like his blonde friend. "Or a twin?" he continued as he noticed their alikeness to each other.

"What brings you here anyway?" Naruto asked rudely.

"I was supposed to buy a drink when I saw you."

"So you decided to slap me instead?"

"In either way we'll still see each other," Naruko replied as she rolled her eyes. "And besides, isn't it Mom and Dad's anniversary tomorrow?" her expression softened as she looked down. Naruto was about to comfort his sister when she rested her fist to his chest, stopping him from getting near her, "Don't you dare come near me, Naruto."

"Why are you mad at me?!"

"I'm not mad. It's just that you look dirty and all. I don't want my newly bought dress to get germs from you."

"What did you say?!" Naruto glared at the blonde girl who started to laugh at him.

"Geez, even if she looks like Naruto, she is way cuter than him. She is far different from the girls I see here," The raven murmured while observing the blonde girl. "But according to the book, you cannot date your friend's sister," He continued as he rubbed his chin. "Wait... I don't even like her yet... or do I? I haven't read enough books about love at first sight yet. Maybe I should search for more books in the library later." He muttered once more, as he raised one eye-brow while looking up at the ceiling. The blonde girl noticed the raven who was innocently murmuring, then decided to move towards the blonde guy, who curiously stared at her.

"Who is he? He's cute. He reminds me of someone…" she whispered while tucking her hair behind her ear and preparing to approach the murmuring raven.

"Please no—" Naruto was about to stop his sister when she immediately sat right next to the raven.

"Hi, I'm Naruko, what's your name?" the blonde girl asked as she pulled a chair next to the raven in a lady-like manner.

"I'm Sai." The raven replied, startled as he noticed that the girl he was observing is sitting right next to him.

"Sai…" The blonde girl repeated and smirked at him as she moved closer to the raven. "So cutie, do you have any plans for today?"

"Not really, but—"

"Would you like to show me around? I'm kind of new in this place and I wanted to tour it," she interrupted, trying to flirt the raven, who was beginning to turn red because of their closeness.

Naruto stared at the two, trying to think of a way to get rid of his annoying twin sister away from the poor raven. _But this is a good chance for him to experience flirting with girls, _he thought, but Sai looked so helpless that the blonde unexpectedly dragged his sister and decided to head to the apartment, leaving the raven all alone in the table, still shocked about the thing that just happened.

"Stop dragging me like a dog, Naruto. Why are you dragging me anyway?"

"If you weren't scaring my friend I wouldn't drag you."

"I am not scaring him—"

"I want to talk to Jiraiya-jiji too."

"Then talk to him! I was having fun—"

"Naruko!" They stopped in front of the façade of the apartment. They were both silent and looking down at the road. Naruko can sense that her brother is really serious, she must have went overboard and made her twin snap, it was obvious that Naruto was trying to compose himself. After all, this is his reunion with his sister, after ten years of longing to see her.

"Let's go up. Jira-jiji is talking to Kashi-jii-san," the blonde girl uttered softly as she led the way while her brother was still holding her wrist. They remained silent as they reached the elevator and the floor where their room was. When they reached the door to their room, they heard the voices of the two men, one with loud and not too deep voice, and one with deep and calm voice.

"_So he took it after all?"_

"_Yep, he has no choice."_

"_How is he?"_

"_Still the same, he even ignored the cake I bought."_

There was a short silence between the two, or their voices lowered down. The twins placed both their ears on the door, until a loud laughter echoed in the room and made the door vibrate a little. They backed away a little and stared at the door.

"Should we open it?" Naruto asked in a hushed tone as he scratched his head with his right hand and turned to glance at his twin, who seemed to be poignant to go inside.

"Why ask me?" Naruko hissed back as she glared at her twin for few seconds then look the other way, "I'm sure they're talking about us." Naruto was about to cool her down when both of them heard the two voices converse again.

"_Kakashi, I'm planning to take Naruto with me."_

"_What? But the classes has started already, and—"_

"_I didn't mean it that way. I want to take him with me to where I live right now."_

"_With Naruko?"_

"_Well, I was planning to have an exchange with you."_

Naruto's eyes widened upon hearing their conversation, while Naruko looked down, trying to compose herself.

"He always favours you," The blonde-girl uttered softly as tears fall from her face.

"Huh?" Naruto faced his twin and was surprised to see her crying. He didn't actually see her tears because of the long hair covering her face, but her gesture gave him a clue that she is.

"Jira-jiji... he always talks about you." Then she immediately faced and glared at her brother who was worrying for her. "You… Everyone favours you! Mom, Dad, even Sasuke! No one ever favours me. They only see me as an annoying little brat with dual personality!"

"Naruko…" the blonde guy replied in disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Who would, right?" Naruko retorted, then she decided to run away from her brother as fast as she can and wet inside the elevator. Naruto on the other hand stared blankly at first, until the scene finally sink in to him and ran after his sister and used the stairs.

_What is she talking about? Everyone liked her, mom and dad always gives the things she wants. Sasuke was closer to her than me, he always bully me and tease me, but he was kind to her, even though she keeps on hugging him which makes him a bit comfortable. Naruko, what are you talking about? Between the two of us, you are the person they favour most… _Naruto thought as he ran down the stairs until he reached the reception area and saw his twin exited the door. He followed her outside and ran as fast as he can to catch up with her, even though it's impossible. Ever since they were young, Naruko was a very fast runner, even other guys can't compete with her. She was even part of the soccer team in their school, which was a bit pressuring and frustrating for Naruto's side, so he decided to drag his best friend, Sasuke, to join the boys' soccer team, but never in his whole life was he able to catch his sister. She was talented and smart, unlike him who sucks at almost everything, which made him more curious about his sister's words and action.

"Naruko, wait up-ttebayo! Why are you running away?" Naruto shouted as he reminisced the times when they were young, _she only runs when she feels sad, nervous, angry, or if there's something bothering her. _"Oi, talk to me!" he shouted once more, but there was no response from his twin. Then the rain suddenly poured. _Geez, global warming, curse you, dattebayo! _Naruto thought to himself as he doubled his speed to chase his twin.

Naruko was a bit far from her twin now and she can clearly see the streets turning right. When she turned to the right, few steps after she accidentally tripped and sprained her ankle badly, she tried to stand up but it was too painful, so she decided to lean on the cement wall and rest there for a while, and maybe let her annoying brother carry her back to the condominium. She folded her long legs and tucked it under her dress, and rested her head on her knees as she hugged her legs.

Just as Naruto reached the right-turn, he paused for a while and looked around. _Where are you, Naruko? Damn it, Kakashi-jii-san and Ero-sennin will get mad at me, _the blonde guy thought to himself. "Naruko!" he shouted.

Naruko, on the other hand, froze. _Did he found me? Great, _she thought, preparing herself to give up, when she heard the footsteps pass by her. She raised her head and saw her brother ran away from her. _He's still stupid as ever, _she thought as she smiled at her running brother, then she looked down at her knees and felt sad. _If only you knew how much I missed you, Naru-nii-chan. _Then tears fell from her face and she cried. _I really missed you, nii-chan. Why… why do you have to remind me of otou-san so much? Why? _She thought once more as she clenched her fist and hugged her legs tightly as the wind blows, making her shiver. "Please go back, nii-chan. Carry me home now, please." She pleaded as she cried harder.

* * *

The raven waited patiently inside the restaurant, wondering why the head of the orphanage, Mayu-sama, asked him to go urgently and meet someone. She did not even describe or tell who's the person he's going to meet, and why in this restaurant. It is almost near the outside border of the city, and most of the people who visit this restaurant are rich. He was starting to get nervous and having thoughts that the waiters and waitresses might kick him out if he doesn't order something yet in few minutes. He checked the menu many times, and nothing seemed to interest him since most of it are expensive, and he was saving his money for the books he's required to read for some of his courses. He also felt guilty for leaving his friend in the air without explaining him the reason why he can't do his favour. But knowing Naruto, the blonde will worry for him and insist to come for support, he would not want him to involve in this kind of business, his business. So he decided to tell the blonde everything after meeting this _important _person, for him to forgive the raven easily, but knowing Naruto again, he won't be mad at the raven for long. Upon concluding, he took a deep breath and sighed, and tried to make himself comfortable in the banquet set. He looked outside of the window and watched the rain pour down like the sky is crying. It always made him sad when it's raining, particularly because it reminded him of his parent's death. If it wasn't for Naruto, he would not become a good person as he is right now, probably he would become some emotional kids slashing their wrist, and obsessing about revenge and hatred.

Out of boredom, he took out his English book and decided to answer the exercises when a mysterious man joined him. He looked up and stared at the man with eyes wide open like he saw a ghost.

"Uchiha Itachi?!" he uttered as he stared at the man sitting in front of him, wearing a suit, and his long hair tied in a pony like it used to be. "Is this real?" he asked himself while slapping his face repeatedly and leaned on the backrest.

"It's been a while, Sasuke. How have you been?" Itachi asked thoughtfully, but the raven remained silent as he stared disbelievingly at the glass of water in front of him. Itachi called the waiter and ordered two milkshakes and salads for the two of them. "Make sure the other salad has lots of tomatoes, my brother loves that—"

"Why are you here?" Sasuke interrupted, Itachi glanced at the waiter and nodded. The waiter nodded back and left, leaving the two ravens all alone.

"I heard the Hyuuga's are here—"

"Answer my question." The raven insisted as he glared at his long lost brother. "I thought you were dead. Are you really my brother or some imposter? I'm sorry but I have nothing to give you, Uchiha Corp went down years ago. Excuse me for being rude but I have to go." The raven was about to stand up when Itachi reached out an envelope to him. "What is this, Itachi? The letters you were supposed to give me ten years ago?" he sneered as he threw the envelope back to his brother and rose from his seat.

"I'm taking you with me." Itachi uttered as Sasuke grabbed his bag. The raven glared at him once more.

"Hn. Why? You got lonely, living all by yourself in your mansion?" he mocked.

"Please sit down and let's talk—"

"There's nothing to talk about!" the raven shouted and caught the other customer's attention. Itachi grabbed his brother's wrist and asked him to go back to his seat calmly. Sasuke sighed and threw his bag on the chair and sat next to it. He rested his elbows on the table, entangled his fingers and placed it under his nose, covering his mouth and glared at his brother who seemed to be calm. "What do you want?"

"Like what I said a while ago, I want you to come with me."

"Hn, why for?"

"I need someone to help me manage the business, our family business."

"So the rumours are true, Uchiha Corp is back on track."

"Yes," Itachi replied as he handed the envelope to his brother. "This is the letter that I made for the school head. Give it later after we eat and we'll both talk to Mayu-sama—"

"I don't want to," the raven deadpanned. "I don't want to come with you. I don't want to get involve with the company. I just want to stay here."

"Then why are you taking a business course?" Itachi asked as the raven's glare intensified. "I know you wanted to bring Uchiha Corp back to life, this is—"

"I never wanted to do that!" the raven exclaimed as he hammered the table with his crumpled fist. "I never wanted to do such thing!" he exclaimed once more, "It just so happens that it was the only course that interests me." His facial expression softened as leaned on the backrest and rested his arms on the table.

"That's why it is better if you come with me." Itachi replied calmly, "We'll run the business together. We'll be at the top again like ten years ago. We'll continue our parents' legacy. It was their final request to us."

"I… I don't want to." The raven responded, eyes locked on the table with red tablecloth. There was a long pause between the two, until their food finally arrived.

"Thank you." Itachi said to the waiter as he nodded to him and left.

"I'm not hungry—"

"Please." Itachi insisted, but the raven just stared at his brother who was about to eat his salad.

"What happened back then?" Sasuke asked, trying to catch his brother's eyes, but his brother was busy eating. "Back before our parents were assassinated, what happened?"

"We were in the airport that time, waiting for the private plane. When it arrived, father told me to go inside first, and I did. He was talking to someone outside the plane's door together with my mother, when I heard gunshots. The pilot told me to hide inside the pilot's locker so I didn't know what happened. When the gunshots disappeared, I waited for few more minutes before I go out. When I went out, I saw our parents lying in front of the plane door, mother was dead, but father was still breathing and calling for help. I approached him, and he told me to manage our company, but he told me to exclude you. After father died, I decided to run to our family lawyer for help, and he did. But few months later he died because of plane crash."

"Is that it?"

"Yes, Sasuke." Itachi replied without looking at his brother.

Sasuke stared at his salad and smirked, "Hn, you still know my favourite food. But I guess I really am not hungry." He finally caught his brother's attention. "The rain's getting hard. I should go. I have some things to do," The younger raven said as he grabbed his bag and rose from his seat. "By the way, my answer is still no. I don't want to come with you, and that's final." Then he walked away without hesitations.

_I knew this would happen. It would be hard to bring him back and help me manage our business. But I have to take him with me, before someone else does, _Itachi thought as he rubbed his forehead. _I have to go back soon. I can't leave the company without someone managing it. It's hard to find a trustworthy person nowadays, I have to make this fast. _He said once more as he drank his milkshake and smiled, "You haven't changed a bit, foolish little brother."

* * *

He took out his umbrella from his shoulder bag upon exiting the restaurant and walked as fast as he can. He looked down and reminisced the day when he saw both his parent's picture in the television. It was said in the local news that both his parents and brother were dead. He was automatically sent to the orphanage by their family lawyer, Namikaze Minato, who was also his father's closest friend. He remembered that Minato wanted to adopt him, but he can't because of the case is parent's left. And good thing Minato didn't adopt him because he did remembered a newsflash few months after his parents' death, Minato died on a plane crash together with the lawyer of the opposing company, Uzumaki Kushina.

It was rumoured that Minato was Kushina's husband, which is true. They are, after all, his old friends, Naruto and Naruko's dear parents. But because both Minato and Kushina are renowned lawyers, they have both decided that the twins will use their mother's maiden name for their safety, even though Kushina was against it. Then Sasuke remembered when the twins arrived in the orphanage, Naruko was crying while her brother comforted her and promised not to let go of her hand. They became closer since that day and treated each other like siblings, that they belong to one family. Until one day, he found Naruto sobbing in the corner because Naruko left him and Mayu-sama won't tell him who adopted his sister. Naruto felt sad because his twin broke their lifetime promise that they will be together until they get married and have their own family.

Since that day, Sasuke promised the same thing to Naruto – a little payment for cheering him up when his family died and for bringing him to the brighter side of life. Sasuke can only wish that Naruto can help him with his current situation, he is the only one who can understand him, or is there someone else?

He stopped walking as he reached the intersection, and waited patiently for the stoplight to turn red. Upon waiting, he caught a glimpse of a girl sitting parallel to his position on the opposite side of the road. _I thought beggars are not allowed in here, _he thought to himself as he observed the girl with long blonde hair covering her face. She was wearing a blue dress with some mud on it and she was very wet. He started walking as the light turned red, with eyes still locked on the girl, when he finally realized who she was.

* * *

_Naruto, where the heck are you? _The blonde thought to herself as she tried not to shiver from coldness as she hugged her legs with her forehead resting on her knees. It must have been minutes, or hours since she stayed there under the rain. Her body was weakening and she can feel the strong pain on her right ankle, she was about to lie down when she noticed that the water dripping on her stopped. She slowly looked up and her helpless expression turned into disbelief as she saw the man standing in front of her.

"N… nii-chan?!" she stuttered as she looked weakly at the man.

"What are you doing here? Stand up," the man replied. Naruko glared weakly at him and tried to raise herself, but her ankle ached whenever she tried to move it, and it resulted to her stumbling to the ground. The man quickly got her shoulders, burying her face on the man's uniform.

"Are you alright?" the man asked thoughtfully. The blonde nodded and returned to her position before the man found her. The man stared at her for few seconds until he had a wonderful idea on how to help the poor blonde.

"Hop in." the man said, Naruko looked up and saw the man sitting in front of her with his back facing her, "I'll give you a lift, you might get a fever if you stay here."

"Just let me be—"

"Just do it!" the man demanded. Naruko had no other choice, she positioned herself and rode on the man's back and held the umbrella he was holding while he carries her.

"What happened to you?" the man asked as they started moving,

"You don't have to do this—"

"I'll pass by your appartment anyways."

"But—"

"Naruko," The man interrupted, "when did you arrive?"

"Few hours before noon," Naruko replied as she coughed lightly. "Where have you been? I thought the orphanage was located on the other side?" The blonde asked but received no reply from the man.

"Gomen ne…" she apologized, making the man smile, "What's so funny?"

"Hn, you haven't changed a bit, Naruko-san."

"You're the only one who said that."

"Based on your expression, something tells me you already met your brother."

"Yeah." She buried her face on the man's shoulder, trying not to cry again.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Hn, had a fight with your brother, cry-baby—"

"Sachi-chan!" the blonde retorted in a low voice, trying not to cough. The man laughed upon reminiscing the old times.

"Where did the word, _Sachi_, come from anyways?" the man teased.

"Back then I can't pronounce your name properly, so I decided to scramble the words in your name instead."

"But you can pronounce it properly now."

"Yeah, but I got used to it." Naruko replied calmly.

"Yep, you never changed. You still have your father's calm personality. But the inner you have your mother's temper."

"It's the other way around now." Naruko replied with a smile.

"How long will you stay here?" the man asked as he fixed her position and continued walking.

"Weeks, months, depends on Jira-jiji. Probably months, he left some unfinished business in the university and I heard he has to fix it soon."

"Hn. A lot of people are leaving some unfinished businesses lately." The man said, pertaining to a certain person.

"What is it?" The blonde asked thoughtfully while trying to take a better look at the man's pissed off expression. But the man unexpectedly turned his face and gave her a smirk, making her turn red and bury her face on his shoulder. "I guess it's nothing."

"Hn, you still like me."

"Heh, confident as ever huh? Too bad someone caught my eye already." The blonde replied with a smirk

"Hn, really? Then say my name if it's true."

"Why should I?! Don't you know your own name?"

"Just say it."

"No." the blonde deadpanned. Then there was a short pause between the two.

"I take back what I said earlier."

"Huh?" the blonde looked at the man with a curious expression and waited for a continuation from his phrase. "What do you mean by that?"

"You talk like your brother now—"

"What?!" the blonde exclaimed. Then she coughed continuously like it will never stop. The man tried to walk faster but decided to keep his pacing as he noticed that the path is quite slippery.

"Just don't talk too much. How long have you stayed under the rain?!" the man asked like he was scolding a little girl, but the blonde remained silent, trying to relax her throat.

"You want me to say it?" the blonde suddenly uttered.

"Hn, say what?" the man asked with a smirk, but the blonde didn't replied. There was a long pause between the two. The man felt that the weight increased and thought that she was asleep when he felt her warm breath on his ears as they passed by the café.

"Sasuke." She finally uttered and ran out of conscious afterwards. The raven smirked and shook his head lightly.

_Hn, you finally thought of sleeping just when were about to arrive in your apartment, _he thought as he noticed that the rain is starting to get weaker.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting, someone called me and—where's Naruto?" the pink haired girl asked as she went back to their table.

"A lot of things happened, actually." The raven replied as he closed his sketchpad and placed it on his lap.

"I see…" _Now I'm alone with this freak. Great! _The pink haired girl thought just when someone caught her attention outside of the window. _Geez, a lot of people remind me of him lately, _she thought once more as she stared at the man in a university uniform, carrying a blonde girl. She can't see their faces because of the umbrella covering it.

"Yeah, it also rained while you were gone."

"I see…" she replied to the raven. "By the way, I have to go."

"Huh?" the raven looked at him with a curious face.

"Well, the person who called me is my mother. She wants me to go home immediately. Something bad happened I guess." the pink-haired girl replied and sighed, "I wanted to chat with you more, but I guess I have to deal this shitty stuff with my mother first."

"It's alright. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Sakura," The raven replied with a smile as he stood up and reached his hand to her.

Sakura shook it and replied, "Nice to meet you too, Sai." _I guess he's not that bad,_ she thought as she gently released his hand. "Let's meet tomorrow, same time, okay?"

"Okay." The raven replied with a smile. _Is it working? The one Naruto suggested? Good thing I've already read a book about how to talk smart and how to become a gentleman. _The raven smiled once more.

"Are you leaving right away?" Sakura asked thoughtfully.

"Maybe I'll finish the food you prepared for us so it will not go to waste, and wait for the rain to stop. I kind of forgot my umbrella in the apartment."

"What apartment, the one near the café?"

"Hai," He replied with a smile.

"Alright, take care!" she smiled as she excused herself and went back to the kitchen because of another phone call.

"You too," He replied as he watched the girl walk back to the counter, then to the kitchen. Sai sat down and observed the café.

The café is not that big, there are four tables upon entering the café, two on the left side near the glass divider with floral design and two on the right side where there is a long mirror mounted on the wall. The counter is as long as the distance of the two tables from each side and it curves and extends to the left side where it occupies six stools, it overlooks the kitchen covered by a clear window where the costumers see their pancakes and sandwiches get cook. From that counter, there are three rows and columns of table where he is currently seated at the middle row and last column.

The space in front of the tables is where the flower shop is located, divided by another glass divider, and the divider in the entrance, and there is no other way to go there but the entrance in the café. It is quite a good choice though, he thought, because there are only few workers in the café, having two entrance would make it harder for them to manage, especially their guard looks weak because of his tall and thin figure. The ceiling is painted with beige, and pin lights with flower-shaped casing, well, most of the lightings have flower-shaped casing in wooden brown color. The color of the wall is beige and is hand painted, with burnt red bricks as accent, and the flooring is terracotta tiles.

The place feels so homey because of the scent and views of the flowers, and the wonderful food that you'd like to stay in it for hours and hours and—

"Sorry, we're about to close."

"Huh?" the raven was startled as he looked up at the blonde girl talking to him. He had enough encountering blonde girls today, but her sweet smile sure can melt ones heart.

"Well, you see, we don't have enough workers here and I have class in an hour," the blonde explained as she glanced at the wall clock inside the counter area, "And geez, I have to clean up the whole café."

"It's okay, I understand." The raven said as he fixed his stuffs and accidentally dropped his sketchpad in his lap.

"Oh, is this yours?" the blonde girl said as she picked up his sketch pad and handed it to him.

"Hai," The raven replied with a smile.

"Wow, that is so cool. We should exchange drawings soon. Well, you see, I rarely find someone who's interested in art like me." The girl replied as she rolled her eyes toward the counter, pertaining to her cook.

"Well, you see… I don't usually show my drawings to others." _Shit. My words went out wrongly. _"My course is architecture." The raven immediately said, startling the blonde.

The blonde smiled at him happily and said, "That's cool! Mine is Interior Design."

"What a coincidence. So we have the same building?"

"I guess we do." The blonde replied happily, making the raven blush.

"Ano…"

"Huh?" the blonde asked curiously as she stared at the raven who was smiling sheepishly while scratching his head.

"If you like, we could… ano... we could…"

"Go together?" the blonde continued. The raven's face turned fully red and nodded with a smile.

_What do you call this? Why is my face so hot? _The raven asked himself.

"Well, my design class will also start in an hour. And I thought that you—"

"Yeah, we have the same class." The blonde replied with a smile as she blushed. _This guy is quite different from Sakura's description. I kind of like him,_ the blonde thought as the raven smiles back at her, "By the way, my name is Ino." She said as she happily reached her hand towards him.

"My name is Sai." He replied as he gently shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sai."

"Nice to meet you too…" _Well, based on my experience with Sakura, girls hates honest guys… think of a word… according to the book you have to call others by their nicknames in order to become close to them in an instant, what word, what word? Ah! _"…Gorgeous." The blonde stared blankly at the raven as her face turned red.

_Damn it, this guy will kill me because of heart attack, _she said to herself as she gave him a weak smile and gently released his hands. "Well. I have to clean up, nice to meet you." She said as she gave him another sweet smile and headed to the counter.

"Ano… I…" _Why am I stuttering, could it be…? _"I wanted to help you." The raven said as he stood up from his seat and face the blonde who was about to enter inside the counter. Ino turned around and faced the raven in disbelief.

"You wanted to help me?" she repeated, to make sure she heard him right.

"Hai. So we could finish ahead of time and arrive in the building early." The raven replied with a sweet and happy smile, a type of smile he rarely gives to others.

It made Ino's heart melt and approached him. "Thank you." She said as she held his wrist and gently led him towards the counter.

"Ano… where are we going?"

"The things we'll need to clean the café are inside the counter."

"Oh, is that so." Sai eagerly followed the blonde with a smile.

_Shikamaru, be prepared when I see you tomorrow. I can forgive you if you're late, but not coming at all? You are so dead you slug, _she thought as she tried to compose herself.

* * *

"Nani?" the brunette exclaimed as he stared at the soaked blonde in front of him.

"Please Shikamaru, you have to help me," Naruto pleaded to his friend.

"But I'll be late, Ino will kill me if I didn't come today."

"Please I'm dying here. I have to find her."

"Who are we looking for anyway?"

"Wait, we?! So you're going to help me?"

"Do I have a choice? And besides, she seemed very important to you." _Mendokuse… why is trouble following me today?_

"Of course, she's my sister." The blonde said, "So will you help me?"

"What does she look like?" the brunette asked as he sighed.

"Well… she looks exactly like me, only she has boobs and long hair."

"Okay, what?" the brunette asked in incredulity. "She looks like you?"

"Well, she is my twin, dattebayo—"

"You didn't tell me you have a twin!" the brunette exclaimed.

"There's no time to explain, we have to find her!" Naruto said while in panic. The brunette stared at him for a while and rummaged his bag.

"Oi, wear this." The brunette said as he tossed his raincoat to the blonde.

"You have this all along?!" the blonde asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I just realized that we won't fit in my umbrella and—"

"Thank you," The blonde said as he put on the raincoat. "Let's go!" he said as he led the way.

"Oi! I think it's better if we split up." The brunette suggested, the blonde looked back at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Alright, dattebayo! Just text me if you find her wandering around."

"Alright." The brunette said as he turned around and headed to the direction opposite to the blonde.

* * *

It's been an hour since he accepted to help Naruto find his twin and there is still no sign. He stopped for a while and seated on the bench under the waiting shed when his phone vibrated. He took it out from his pocket and was surprised to see who was calling him.

"Temari?"

"_Are you alright?" _she asked worriedly.

"Yes, why'd you asked?"

"_Well. I left you all alone in the park a while ago. Then few minutes later a heavy rain poured."_

"It wasn't that he—"

"_I was worried you freak!" _she cried out, startling the brunette, _"I felt sorry for leaving you and—"_

"Don't worry, I'm alright. More importantly, are you?"

"_H…hai."_

"That's good." The brunette replied happily, causing a short pause between the two.

"_Oh, Shikamaru, I have to go. Professor's here."_ The blonde replied hurriedly as she hung up.

"Geez, that woman," The brunette said to himself as he smirked, "Makes me wonder more why I've fallen for her. But I guess she's just unique in her own way." He concluded a he stood up and started walking again.

Few minutes after, he saw a familiar raven from afar, Shikamaru was about to call him out when he saw him carry a blonde girl wearing a blue dress. _Wait, long blonde hair, blue dress, could she be… _the brunette thought as he tried to catch a glimpse of the girl's face. Luckily, Sasuke turned to his left to go towards to the road where Naruto's apartment is located, allowing Shikamaru to conclude that there's a strong possibility that the girl at the raven's back is Naruto's twin. He then quickly took out his phone and texted the blonde. After sending the message, he quickly followed the raven and the blonde he's carrying to be sure, and both of them were really heading towards the apartment. But soon he realized that he would pass by the café.

_Darn it! I'm still a bit far from the café. And Ino's class will start in an hour, she must have closed the shop already. This is too troublesome, she'll kill me tomorrow for sure, _he thought as he decided to head home instead, he texted Naruto that his twin is heading home with Sasuke anyway. He just hoped that Ino will be in a good mood tomorrow and forgive him right away. _Or maybe I should bring Chouji with me to neutralized the possible atmosphere between the two of us tomorrow and calm down Ino_, he thought. For some reason, Chouji is really good at calming Ino, or maybe Naruto is right, that Shikamaru is weak when it comes to girls. "Mendokuse…" he uttered to himself, a smirk crossed his face when he realized that his blonde friend was definitely right.

* * *

Sai went back to the apartment. He never thought his class would finish in such short time. They only had a little discussion about designs and the materials they'll be needing then next thing he knew the professor dismissed them.

One more flight to go till he reached his floor when he noticed his blonde friend sitting all alone in the first step, he was soaking wet, thoughts were travelling somewhere. Without further reason, Sai sat next to him, causing the blonde to jump up and faced him.

"Sai?!" the blonde exclaimed, a bit startled, but not shocked. He was somewhat expecting him to do such thing, "Why do you always appear whenever I need to talk to Sasuke?!" _shit, that came out wrong… but it is quite true that I wanted to talk to him, he somewhat needs to know that Naruko's back._

"I don't really know how to answer your question." The raven replied as the blonde went back to where he was seated earlier, "I just know that I'm always here whenever my friends need help."Sai continued with a smile. The blonde then sighed and observe the dancing shadow of the leaves right in front of him.

"Is it your sister?" Sai asked, but received no reply from the blonde.

"Yup, you remind me of my brother."

"Huh?" Naruto began to ask, upon remembering Sai silver-haired, brother.

"Well, he always smile, and is very cheerful, just like you. Though his pe—er… never mind. But ever since we became friends, I always see him in you."

"You two are really close, huh?"

"Yeah. We were inseparable, until he had to go to other country to support me. We rarely get in touch with each other."

Naruto then smiled and sighed as he looked up at the ceiling, "I wish me and Naruko are as close as you and your brother."

"Give her time, your old relation with her will eventually come back gradually."

"Don't tell you got that in a book."

"Naruto!" Sai replied, a bit hurt. It was obviously not from a book, because if it is, he would state it just before the main point of his sentence, "I felt the same way as Naruko when Shin visited me months ago. It felt awkward and I rarely talked to him because I don't know how to start a conversation with him, but as days passed by, we began joking around each other again." Sai finished. Naruto then released a sigh again.

"I guess you're right, maybe I should give her time to adjust."

"What is this about?" another raven appeared out of nowhere, startling Sai and Naruto. Sai then smiled and stood up,

"It's the dickless avenger."

"What the—"

"Just kidding. I have to go now. I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, Sai waved goodbye to the two and climbed the stairs once more.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked upon looking up at the raven.

"Hn, I thought you wanted to talk to me, moron. But I guess that faggot already did my job." Sasuke uttered with a smirk, triggering him to receive a death glare from the blonde.

"Heh, confident as ever. And teme don't call me that!" he retorted while shaking his fist in the mid air.

"Hn, now you sound like your sister." Sasuke replied as he turned around and headed to the door.

"Eh?!"

Just before Sasuke open enter the door, he glanced at the blonde and uttered something with a smirk, "By the way, fuck that bromance dude, it's freaking me out."

With that, the blonde only managed to cry just before he stood up and follow the raven inside."Teme!"

Naruto immediately grabbed the door knob when the door automatically opened by a very familiar man.

"Oho! Is this Naruto?! Look at you. You look like your father now! Though you look dumber than him—"

"Ero-sennin!" the blonde shouted as he hugged his godfather.

"Good to see you too," Jiraiya said good-naturedly as he hugged him back, "But please don't call me that, I'm a famous writer now." He whispered, but the blonde only managed to laugh.

"Oh! I smell tons of food!" the blonde said happily as he saw two boxes of pizzas on the coffee table. "Sasuke, join us for a while!" the blonde called out to the raven who was fixing his bag in the sofa, preparing to leave.

"I have some things—"

"Oh, c'mon!" the blonde interrupted as he pulled the raven towards the dining area.

_Geez, you haven't changed a bit, Naruto_, Jiraiya thought as he smiled while observing the blonde. He gently closed the door and joined the blonde and the raven to the living room.

Sasuke, having no choice, had his late lunch with his two blonde friends who seemed to argue all the time, a big man with long and wild natural white hair who always disciplined them whenever the two blonde's voices got loud, and a tall man with natural gray hair who seemed to be calm about the scene. Everything seemed very weird for the raven, but at that moment, he felt at home, like he's a part of it. As he felt tears well up, he immediately stood up and excused himself politely. "I have to go. Gomen nasai," He said as he nodded to them.

"But you're not finished yet."

"I have—"

"Let him be, Naruto." Jiraiya said as he nodded back to the raven, "And besides, I have to talk to the two of you privately." He continued as he turned his glance towards the two blondes who both looked down at their plates like two puppies who did something wrong.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal." Sasuke said with manners and left.

As he exited the building, he stared up at the sky for few seconds, trying to hold back his tears. _It's been a long time, since I felt this, _he thought as he closed his eyes and reminisced the time when both his parents were still alive, and he played happily with his brother in the garden. _Hn, old times. _Then he looked down and started walking. As he walked down the side walk, he saw a very familiar person from the other side of the street, heading towards the university. _Is that Sai? _"Hn. I never thought he can pick up girls," he muttered to himself as he observed the raven with a blonde girl. _Wait a second. _He stopped for a while and realized who the girl is. _Yamanaka Ino? What a coincidence, _he thought to himself in disbelief. _Hn. She did become one of my fan girls when we were young, falling for a guy who looks like me is quite given. _Sasuke smirked at the two. _Poor Sai, _he thought once more as he composed himself not to laugh, when…

"Sasuke?" a familiar voice uttered. He looked straight towards him and saw a very familiar person.

"Sakura." He said, his face becoming serious. _What is she doing here?_ He thought, as he started walking. The pink-haired girl began walking after with a serious face as well. The two remained their eye contact until they were side by side, like the last time they saw each other…

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, as she stopped walking.

"Hn, that's my line." The raven replied as she passed by the girl.

"Wait!" she shouted to him, tears started falling from her face. "Can't we just talk for a while?"

"There's nothing to talk abou—"

"I still—" Sakura froze as she realized that the raven is walking back towards her, and pulled her towards him.

"I know." He stated, hugging the crying girl, "But we both know we can't—"

"We can't what, Sasuke? Why… Why do we have to end it?" Sakura asked painfully as she sobbed. "I… I forgive you for leaving me, just don't do it again. Why… why can't we just start over again?" Sasuke released her gently, eyes locked on the ground.

"Thank you." The raven uttered. His voice barely a whisper, "Thank you for forgiving me." He repeated as he turned around and walked away from the crying Sakura. _Thank you, Sakura, for forgiving me, but you do not deserve me… We just can't go back the way we used to be…_

_**-**__**End of Part 3**__**-**_

_What would you do if the person you love broke a promise of a lifetime?_

_Would you still accept the person's apology and start anew,_

_Or would you hold a grudge against that person?_


	4. Truths

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 4**

******-Truths-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

"Well… What in the name of kami do you want to talk about that you let Sasuke go without finishing his food?" Naruto asked impatiently to the white-haired man standing in front of him, "I have some things to do after so make it quick."

"Hey, where are your manners?" Naruko then scoffed at her brother in annoyance, "He's still our godfather."

"Tell that to yourself, dat-te-ba-yo!"

"Why you…"

"It's about your parents." The gray-haired man interrupted after putting his mask back to his face. "Me and Jiraiya-sama thought of telling you guys the truth behind your parents' death, and it's relation to the Uchiha."

The two blondes stared blankly at the two adults in front of them; surely this wasn't the good time to talk about such stuffs, especially since the twins are currently suffering from each other's presence.

With no idea on how to react, Naruto only managed to ask, "What?"

The gray haired man sighed and was about to repeat his statement when Jiraiya raised his hand to stop him. "I'll be the one explaining such matter. It's better that way."

"But why now?! Why—"

"Naruko, just relax and listen carefully, this is what your parents', or rather, your mother, asked me to do before they left…" Jiraiya paused for a while, giving ample time for the twins to make any reactions, but decided to continue after series of exchanging glances with one another, "They wanted you to know the truth if ever this day would come."

"What do you mean?" Naruko asked with her face full of curiosity, "What do you mean by the _truth?_"

"The truth behind their deaths."

_You don't say? _Naruko thought sarcastically, _you just said that few seconds ago you old geezer, _she continued and discreetly rolled her eyes away towards her brother who looked dumbly curious about their godfather's words.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed as he stared at Jiraiya. Clearly, there was no need to elaborate such thing. He knows how their parents died. They died on the plane crash, period. But there was something in Jiraiya's voice that can shuffle one's mind in confusion, making you ask yourself if what you believe is true or not; if the things you knew were really the truth or just make-believe that your silly brain creates to escape the pain reality might bring.

With a heart that is gradually aching as moments pass by, he glared at his godfather and stood up from where he was seating, itching to leave as soon as possible. "This is bullshit, I'm leaving."

"Naruto!" The gray-haired man grabbed his wrist and pulled him back near his seat.

The blonde struggled to set himself free from the strong hand grasping his wrist, but in the end, he only managed to cry, "Let go of me!"

"Naruto-nii-chan, aren't you tired of running away from it?" the blonde's twin uttered with her old, usual, calm voice. "We both know that this time will eventually come... The time where we'll know—"

"I know, alright?!" he shouted back to his sister, startling her from where she was seating, as the hand holding him gently slid down, "I just think it's useless to talk about dead people. I mean, as if _these _words would change us for a good cost…" He then smacked the hand of his uncle away from his with eyes locked to his sister.

"Naru—" the white haired man tried to interrupt, but the blonde refused to stop blabbering.

"Past is past, all we have to do is move on…"

"Na—"

"It is only an event that happened in our past…"

"That's enough! If you don't shut the hell up I would definitely put a packaging tape in that big mouth of yours and tie you in that chair you are currently seated, do you understand?" Jiraiya snapped, or rather, attempted to scare the blonde male in front of him. Fortunately, to his surprise, it worked. The fact that it never worked on his sister; they surely are different from one another.

"Just behave yourselves and listen to what Jiraiya-sama has to tell you," Kakashi said calmly as he waved good-naturedly to his niece and nephew, giving them one of his sweet smiles – the kind of smile that simply means that things will start to get pretty serious by the time it fades away. The two blondes obeyed their uncle and sat properly. Then Jiraiya gave a glance to Kakashi, giving him a signal that he was about to resume. The masked man smiled and nodded in reply.

"Alright, it started few months before your birthday, both Minato and Kushina had an important case to finish and they have to leave the country separately as soon as possible."

"That was the time when we stayed at Aunt Mayu's orphanage for a while, because no one was available that time to take care of us."

"You're right, Naruko," Jiraiya replied as he sat down on the chair next to Kakashi who, on the other hand, was listening quite attentively, his hands rested on his favourite book in the table, "But the real problem did not start there yet."

"Where did it start then?" Naruto asked impatiently. Jiraiya sighed and glanced at his godson.

"Well, you wouldn't understand the story if I tell you the climax right away." He then smiled at Naruto, who seemed to be interested to listen now, "Anyway, both of them worked hard on their respective case, they sometimes help each other whenever they chat online, after discovering that their cases were quite similar in some ways. Not knowing that their clients were the two opposing companies."

"What?" the two blondes uttered in sync. With rising curiosity, Naruto did not hesitate to ask, "Who were the two companies?"

There was a short silence in the room. Sweat slowly slid down behind Jiraiya's ears. With a big gulp, he slowly opened his mouth and uttered what seemed to be the most heart-stopping words in the world, "The Akatsuki and the Uchiha."

The two blondes' eyes widened upon hearing those words from their godfather. "Sasuke's family?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Our parents' clients were against each other?!"

"Yes." Jiraiya replied as he looked down on his lap, "We both know that Uchiha Fugaku, Sasuke's father, is very close to your father. They used to hate each other, but the wheel began to turn as time passed by, and the next thing I knew they were hanging out together like old buddies, the only reason why the two of you are pretty close to the Uchiha brothers."

"But even though Minato is so far the youngest, legendary lawyer, Kushina's name was far more famous than his, because the fact that she usually handled cases that are impossible to win, and yet she still managed to get the gold." Jiraiya finished with a small smile marked on his face.

"That's our mother!" Naruko said cheerfully as she glances to her brother and gave him a hi-five.

_Geez, I miss this kind of scene, _the gray-haired man thought, while observing the twins, _finally, they're okay with each other, I guess there won't be any trouble later if I told them later that they'll be sharing rooms. After all, it would be hard cooling down two foxes when they get wild. _He continued, praying that the twins would be alright with each other's company for the whole night… or maybe for a week or two, even months… who knows how long will this travelling _historical _man would stay. After all, he did left millions of unfinished business here, plus his secret case together with his former batch mate, Tsunade, which is known for her medical skills worldwide. Not to mention her _love_ for gambling.

"Yes, she is a strong woman, particularly the main reason why your father fell in love with her. But this is not about their love story." His voice got more serious as his glance intensified at the two blondes. "That's why the main stock holder of the Akatsuki Corp., Orochimaru, decided to hire Kushina, because he knew that she's strong enough to defend his company." _Damn that Orochimaru._

"Who filed the case?" Naruto asked, more interested than before, _this might give me an idea on what I will encounter few years from now as a lawyer, _Naruto thought as he gently rubbed his chin.

"The Uchiha."

"Why?"

"I don't know, your mother didn't give me the details, or better yet, she was not allowed to give any details regarding the case, and neither does your father."

Another silence filled the room.

"So, what happened?" Naruko asked calmly while holding his brother's hand on the table, squeezing it with fear like the old times.

"You both know the Uchiha Airport Assassination, right?" The two blondes glanced at each other as if trying to recall the event, and returned their gazes back to their uncle who was waiting patiently for their reply, and nodded. "Well actually, Sasuke's brother, Itachi, survived that assassination." The two sets of blue eyes widened upon hearing their godfather's words.

"Alive?!" they said in sync again, Jiraiya nodded and glanced at the gray-haired man behind him.

"According to your uncle, he was the only one who survived the assassination."

"Why didn't you tell me, or at least Sasuke?!" Naruto exclaimed to his uncle who was seating calmly in front of Naruko.

"I was told to remain quiet about it—"

"But—"

"Your _father_ doesn't want me to tell you, especially to Sasuke-kun."

"But why tell us now?" Naruko asked, still calm about the situation, opposite to her brother.

"Well, you wouldn't understand the truth if I will not mention the truth on the Uchiha's side." Jiraiya stated, he then sighed and looked at his two godchildren with a serious face, "But you two must remain silent about this, okay?"

"But—"

"Jiraiya-jiji is right, nii-chan. Just think if Sasuke-nii-chan would find out, it would be horrible for him. Especially with the knowledge that he's the only living Uchiha in the world. We both know his reactions are quite unpredictable." Naruko said while calming his brother down by patting his back gently. He smiled at her sister and the two glanced back at their godfather, gesturing to continue his story.

"After the assassination, the case between the Uchiha and the Akatsuki was forfeited. Orochimaru's side celebrated, but little did he know that one Uchiha survived and reported everything to Minato, who begged the judge and the court to continue the case, but this time, he'll be representing as one of the Uchiha, to give justice to their death."

"I see, what happened next?" Naruto asked.

"Well, the case was on again, and this time, Minato was a hundred percent sure that he will win the case."

With a curious look, Naruto asked, "Why so?"

"Because he discovered that Orochimaru was behind the assassination of the Uchiha in the airport, _and_ he had a good source for evidences that would definitely prove that he was behind it."

"Who was it?" he asked once more, feeling edgy about the situation.

There was a short silence when Jiraiya finally managed to open his mouth, "It was your mother, Uzumaki Kushina."

"What?" the twins exclaimed in sync for the 3rd time, with jaws drop and eyes wide open.

"She overheard Orochimaru's plan and decided to record it secretly. Then she unexpectedly discovered that her client was going against the Uchiha, and her beloved husband. She then decided to tell Minato everything and offered her help in order to defeat the Akatsuki."

"What happened next-ttebayo?"

"I have no idea what happened after that. But few weeks after, Orochimaru suddenly dismissed Kushina, saying that he would give up on the case. But Kushina declined and said that she would do anything to win the case, but in reality, she also wanted to avenge the Uchiha. But Orochimaru's words were solid as a rock that all she was able to do was to agree. Upon hearing this, Minato had a bad feeling that it was his turn to be assassinated. Luckily, Kushina's subordinate confirmed that Orochimaru was really planning to assassinate Minato, and so she begged her husband to leave the case."

"Well, did he?" Naruko asked, a bit quicker than her reflexes.

"Nope, Orochimaru gave up and—"

"But how could he?!" Naruto exclaimed, slamming his clenched fist on the table. Jiraiya shrugged and rested his back on the chair's backrest.

"I don't know either. Kushina didn't tell me the details. But anyway, it was Kushina and Minato's chance to escape."

"But they didn't…" Naruko concluded. She looked down at her lap with one hand still squeezing his brother's, "Orochimaru was behind the plane crash few weeks before our birthday, right?"

"Yes. He discovered that the two of them were related to each other and planned to kill them both."

"When… when did mom tell you these things-ttebayo?"

Another short silence occured.

"The day before their flight. That was our last conversation…"

"I see…" Naruko uttered, barely a whisper as she loosened her grip on Naruto's hand.

"Then she told me to tell Mayu-san to take care of you for a while, until I decided which one of you would I take care of."

"What?" Naruko asked curiously. "Why one of us, why not both?"

"She thought it would be dangerous if Orochimaru would found out that they have children, and decided to separate the two of you. Kakashi would be explaining Minato's part later when I finish."

"Alright, I understand. What did our mother said then?"

"She asked me to do one final favour, to adopt one of you if ever Orochimaru caught them escaping and kill them."

"How did you choose between the two of us, dattebayo?"

"Well, let me see… I randomly picked between the two of you I guess." Jiraiya said good-naturedly, _I actually chose Naruko in thought that having a daughter would be a lesser pain in the ass, but I guess I was wrong, _he thought and smiled at the twins who were giving him suspicious looks.

"Then you took me instead of nii-chan?"

"Yes, Naruko, after hearing the news about your parent's death…" A phone suddenly rang. "Oh, please excuse me." Jiraiya stood up and headed to the kitchen to answer his phone. Few minutes after, he went back to the dining area to excuse himself once more, "I have to go, I believe we were almost near the part where we were about to include Minato's side of the story." He said upon glancing at the startled gray-haired man.

"But mom's side is not finished yet-ttebayo!"

"Yeah, you haven't even told us our mother's last words for us." The twins pleaded.

"Ah… that, well… I've told everything to your uncle a while ago while you two were gone, he'll be the one to continue the story. Unfortunately, your godmother's looking for me."

"Oh, you mean Tsunade-baa-chan?!" Naruko asked curiously, making her twin shock and a bit irritated, as he recalled his encounter the other day with the woman.

"Why… Why do you have some business with that old geezer-ttebayo?! I was _so_ interested in knowing what our mom has to say to us." Naruto exclaimed as he pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. Jiraiya approached the twins and ruffled their hair.

"Like what I've said, your uncle would continue the story, right, Kakashi?" he then glanced at the gray-haired man, who sighed and nodded.

"Yep, I'll tell everything you have said a while ago."

"Alright then, I'll be seeing the two of you later." _I wonder if she already got a word from our old comrade, _the white-haired man thought as he headed to the door, and gently closed it upon his exit, leaving the two blondes and their uncle in the dining room.

The apartment was not that big, though it is quite spacious because the fact that there's nothing much in it since the two boys living in it are quite lazy or better yet, have no time to clean. Upon entering the rectangular room, you would see a 3-seater sofa and a checkered armrest in blue and red near the window, also known as Kakashi's favourite chair, accompanied by a low table with glass top in the center of the area. There's a flat television mounted on the wall opposite to the sofa, followed by three doors. The first one near the television is Kakashi's room, followed by the bathroom, then Naruto's room which is located few steps from the main door. Behind the sofa is the dining area where the two blondes and the masked man are currently seating. The twins were both seated facing the living room, Naruko's on the left side while Naruto's on the right, while Kakashi was seated in front of Naruko, facing the sliding door going to the balcony, where you can overlook the west part o the university. To Kakashi's left is the kitchen with island counter that occupies four stools that serves as the divider to the dining area, and to his right is a long console table occupied with pictures, and the masked man's most _precious _and _up to date _watch.

"Well?" Naruto said, still pouting, as he glanced at their uncle.

"Hm, where did Jiraiya-sama stop?" Kakashi then rubbed his chin and looked up at the ceiling, "Ah!" he exclaimed and nodded to himself, "After hearing the news about your parents' death, Jiraiya-sama immediately fixed all his papers that proves that he is your godfather. I remember, before going inside the orphanage, I ran towards him to stop from entering. I was still a college student that time."

"Why did you stop him?" Naruko asked with a puzzled look.

"Because I have to tell him what your father have told me," He replied, the twins became more curious than before and gave him a hint that they are very interested on hearing every word he has to say. _All I need is a spotlight on top of me then this scene would look like some sort of dramatic scenario, with a playing piano as background music in the television, _he thought before he continued, "While your mother kept in touch with Jiraiya-sama, your father on the other hand, kept contact with me."

"Is that why you always visit us in the orphanage?" Naruko asked.

"Yes, then I report everything back to your father." _Yep, a dramatic scenario in a drama show, by now these two will ask series of questions, till one of them bursts in tears and…_

"I see, what happened next, dattebayo?"

_Yep, this is the scene… It will start to heat up soon…_"Your father told me to adopt you, Naruto." The twins were more shocked than before.

"Wh… why me dattebayo?" the blonde asked with eyes wide open, "Why not Naruko?"

"Because he thought Orochimaru would not kill someone who is important to him like his lawyer…"

"But why would father want you to adopt Naruto and leave me with mother? Would mother agree to it?"

"I don't know, Naruko, but your father told me that it would be best if the two of you would be separated."

"Why, dattebayo?"

"It's like what Jiraiya-jiji sad, nii-chan. It would be dangerous."

"But—"

"Just listen to Kashi-jii-san, would you?" Naruko hissed at her brother, who pouted and slouched with both arms spread on top of the table.

"Well, that was my last conversation with your father." Kakashi continued, "But of course, since I am not related to the two of you, except for the fact that I am your father's student, I made fake files stating that I'm your long distant relative."

"And they fell for it?" Naruko asked in disbelief.

"Yep, I actually used the trick your father taught me once, and luckily, Mayu-sama fell for it and I was able to adopt Naruto."

"Oh, I'm curious, how were you able to support me when you were still a college student?" Naruto asked with a teasing smile.

"Well, I am my father's only son, so I'm the only one who would inherit all his money." He said as he does the nice guy pose.

"So, that's the reason why we were separated?" Naruko asked curiously, half mad, "Because of that Orochimaru?"

"So he's the one who killed our parents? Wait… why do we have to know this, dattebayo?"

"Your parents' and the Uchiha are not the only people who are involved in this," Kakashi said in a more serious tune.

"What do you mean?" Naruko asked as she took a grip on her brother's hand once more

"The Hyuuga and Sabaku were also involved."

"What the?!" The two replied in sync as they stared at their uncle with eyes, wider than usual.

"Wh-why? How?" Naruto asked with a stuttering voice. Kakashi sighed and glanced at the two blondes in front of him.

"I'm really not supposed to share you this information, but Jiraiya-sama did tell me to tell the whole truth." He took a short paused and gave the twins a serious look. "What I'll be telling you now is the truth between the Uchiha and the Akatsuki, and its relation to the two of you, and why you two have to know these things," He said as he stood up from the chair to get his mug from the counter. "We all know that Akatsuki Corp. is one of the big companies in the country, including the Uchiha Company, and the Hyuuga," He continued as he went to the table, opposite to the counter, to get the remote control of the television and turn it off. "But of course, the leading company was the Uchiha, followed by the Akatsuki, then the Hyuuga…" he then went back to the counter to refill his glass with water from the sink. "Particularly the main reason why the Akatsuki wanted to pull down the Uchiha, because they wanted to be on the top, and in order to reach that, they have to make sacrifices," He was about to go to the table to put down the remote when he noticed that the gaze of the two blondes that where following him wherever he goes.

_Looks like the spotlight's still on me, _he then continue walking, but this time, he headed to the living room to place down his book on the sofa.

"The Akatsuki has four stock holders," he continued as he headed to the kitchen, creating zigzag patterns by circling around the coffee table and the sofa. "The first one is the Akasuna Clan, the biggest toy manufacturer that specializes in puppet making…" he then went back to the kitchen, "the second one is The Explosion Enterprise, manufacturer of explosive devices such as fireworks, and main source of weapons used by FBIs and polices, etcetera…" now he headed to the counter to put down his mug, "The third one is the Sabaku Clan, manufacturer of glass and cement used in construction…" he then headed to the table to remove his watch, "Then of course, the main stock holder, Orochimaru." He now headed to the living room once more to fetch the empty pizza box, _they still haven't noticed, _he thought as he created zigzag patterns again as he head to the kitchen, amused by how the two sets of eyes, and two heads, followed every movement he made. _The spotlight is definitely _still_ on me, _he thought, trying to hide his amusement from his eyes as he continued his pattern throughout the story-telling session.

"Wait, so those three companies agreed on the Uchiha assassination?" Naruko asked while her head move from left to right with small movements, followed by a big turn, until she noticed that her brother's head is also doing the same movement and thought that something was not right. "And Kashi-jii-chan…"

"Hm?" the masked man uttered as he continued his movement, a bit faster now.

"Would you stop making fool of us and sit on the chair before you continue our story time?" she said a bit irritated, the last thing she wanted to happen was to be fooled by her uncle who is as perverted as their godfather. Good thing though, he's more good-looking than the old geezer, and more respectful to females, unlike their godfather who would instantly flirt a girl, especially if her chest and butt are gifted. Oh! And if their waistline is size two, never forget that…

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently, making Naruko's cheeks turn red because of anger, but at least he made a full stop as he stared curiously at the angry blonde female.

"Never mind, you may continue." She sighed and rolled her eyes towards her dumb-looking brother, _He did grew a lot though… from the clumsy, messy boy with deep, whisker-like scars on his face, to a tall man with hairstyle similar to our father… and whisker-like scars on his face… _she thought to herself as she observed her brother's features. His arms look stronger now, with the biceps and all, and his broad shoulders, a sign that he's still active in sports, his face is more masculine now – no one would definitely realize that they are twins. Now, Naruto got their mother's features and their father's eyes, unlike before where both of them got their father's features and their mother's eyes. Naruko then remembered when they were young; they would try to switch clothes and pretend to be one another without their friend's noticing. But as she stared at he brother at the very moment, he reminded her of their father – the reason why she acted like a mean sister to him a while ago – but things are getting better now, they're starting to get used to each other's company again, and it actually feels good… to feel the warmth of a relative beside you. Then she squeezed her brother's hand once more as they listened to what their uncle is blabbering about.

"Hm…" he paused for a while and went towards the chair where he was seated at a snail's pace, or slower than a snail to be precise. "Everyone actually agreed on the assassination, except for one."

"The Sabaku Clan, isn't it?" Naruko asked calmly, shocking her dear brother whose eyes are currently as wide as saucers.

"How did you know?"

"Well, I've heard about the death of your friend's father, Gaara-kun…" Naruko said as she glanced at her twin with calm expression. "He's a Sabaku, right?"

Naruto's eyes were scrutinizing hers and pointed a finger at his sister. "H...how did you know, dattebayo? You haven't even met him yet."

"That's why someone invented social networking sites right?" She replied and rolled her eyes away from her brother.

_Geez, I haven't met a girl who changes mood in just few seconds, must be the five-days-in-a-month-girl-thing,_ Naruto thought as he stared at his now annoyed sister,"You were stalking me, weren't you?"

"Why not, there's nothing bad in stalking my own brother and see what's he up to everyday."

_Yep, it's that thing… I hope it's the last day… I mean, just few minutes ago we were okay, I don't want to argue with her again… damn it I miss the old Naruko… _"No…" he stated, a bit quicker than a running mustang. Then he looked down on his lap, one hand scratching behind his neck, and with a sheepish smile he asked, "But ano sa… If you missed me that much, why did you slapped me and treated me like one of your enemies a while ago?"

"I didn't say anything about missing you…" she replied, trying to avoid his brother's face, "and besides, you looked filthy, and like what I've said a while ago, I don't want my newly bought dress to get dirty."

"Naruko, that's too much!" He then exclaimed, feeling hurt about his own twin's words.

"Heh, still a cry baby I see," She mocked, arms crossed over her chest.

Annoyed now, his sheepish smile became a glare, the kind of glare that he somewhat got from his mother.

"This is getting serious, stop it, dattebayo!"

_Damn it, don't give me that look. _"Make me."

"Alright, back to my story!" Kakashi intruded as he took his seat in front of Naruko startling the two blondes. Kakashi watched them as they sat up straight and looked down on the table, or their lap… whichever it is, they were looking down, bangs covering their pissed off faces. _This is what I feared… I guess I have to sleep in the living room later… that is, if these two won't kiss and make-up right away, _he thought to himself and released a long sigh. "Do you still want me to continue _my story?_" he asked, the two blondes nodded, but their eyes are still locked on either the table or their own lap.

"Yosh! So where was I?" Kakashi continued, rubbing his chin as if he clearly forgot what he was talking about. Being impatient and all, Naruto looked up at him with a frown.

"You were talking about the Sabaku Clan and the Hyuuga-ttebayo."

"Ah! Yes, yes, I remember now. Thank you, Naruto," He replied with a big smile on his masked face, but only received a sigh from the blonde.

"So all the stock holders except for the Sabaku Clan agreed on assassinating the Uchiha, in fear that someone might discover that all of them are behind it and might lead to their downfall, making Orochimaru doubt about their loyalty…" Kakashi then leaned on the chair with one hand on the table, and one hand on his pocket, trying to remember every detail his sensei had said to him. After all, he was ordered to tell the truth to the twins. "While the Explosion Corp formulated the perfect weapon and explosive devices for the _perfect assassination_, Orochimaru and the Akasuna clan had discussed on how to eliminate the Sabaku Clan."

"So they killed Gaara-kun's father in order to do that?"

"Probably, probably not…"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, your father wasn't able to unfold the mystery behind it, but it seemed like Gaara-kun's father already surrendered his share and ended his contract with Orochimaru before he died."

"I see… then three years later, the Sabaku formed their own company in Gaara's tutelage, replacing the place of the Uchiha Clan in the big three companies." The male blonde concluded, eyes still locked on his lap. Followed by the female blonde's theory.

"Then I suspect that Orochimaru was also behind Gaara-kun's death."

"I suppose… but like what I said earlier, your father wasn't able to clarify the details behind it, and decided not to dig any further because of the current case he was handling." The gray-haired man said.

"I see… still makes me wonder though how Gaara-kun managed to bring back their business at a young age."

"Well, you see Naruko, his older brother, which name I forgot, helped him, together with his older sister…"

"...which name you also forgot."

"You're right, Naruto." Kakashi said with a smile and one hand scratching his head, "I'm not pretty good with names, as you can see."

"Geez, you don't say, dattebayo," The blonde male murmured as he rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, so after Orochimaru's mission to eliminate the Sabaku Clan from his company, he then proceeded on assassinating the Uchiha."

"I see… so why is the Hyuuga involved in this shitty stuffs-ttebayo?"

"Well after the said assassination, Orochimaru laid low for a while, until the case simmered down, without any thought that it might give the Hyuuga an opportunity to rise."

"Yeah, the Hyuuga Corp is very famous worldwide. Their company speaks not only of quality, but also glamour and high-end gizmos. I mean, their furniture and appliances are to die for." Naruko said with elation, making her brother roll his eyes and sigh.

"Yes, that's true, but their involvement is somewhat related to why the main branch is here in our country."

"So Orochimaru's planning for his comeback this year, am I right?"

"Probably, we can't be so sure, Naruko… but this one of the many reasons why you and Jiraiya-sama are here."

"I see…" she replied with a nod. There was a short silence until Kakashi uttered his last few words before sending the two blondes to bed, seeing hundreds of paper works and his book in the living room making him worry that he might not finish everything on time. Plus Jiraiya-sama gave him a special gift – the newest volume of the Icha-Icha paradise, and it is not distributed in stores yet till next week. His hands were itching to flip the pages of the newest volume that he wanted to finish his tasks as soon as possible, including his story telling with the twins.

"As long as we have not heard any news from Jiraiya-sama regarding this matter, I want you, Naruto, to avoid contact with your Hyuuga friend and Sasuke for a while."

"What?! Nandattebayo?!" Naruto exclaimed, but receive no reply from his uncle who's currently talking to is sister.

"Oh, that also includes you, Naruko."

"I know," She replied like she was expecting those words from her uncle.

"Wait… why should I avoid Sasuke?"

"Why, will you miss him so badly? Will you feel incomplete without seeing him?" Naruko teased with twinkling eyes squinting at him, making her brother turn red.

"Yes! I mean… not in the way you're thinking—"

"What was I thinking? I wasn't thinking of anything," She teased in a sing-song voice, making her brother boil with annoyance.

"Alright alright, you may both go to bed now." Kakashi interrupted with a good natured smile as he grabbed the twins' arms and lead them to Naruto's room. "You may continue your conversation inside… I have some important things to finish."

"W… wait! Kakashi-jii-san, you haven't clarified some things ye—"

"Finally… peace and quiet," He said as slowly slid down on the floor with his back rested on the door, though he can still hear the twin's voice, with one of them banging the door to open, probably Naruto.

"Darn that masked-freak-man! Open the door, Kakashi-jii-san!" the blonde male whined, still banging the poor wooden door. "You haven't finished your story yet, oi! Open up!" He then turned around and decided to ask for his sister's help, but she already dozed off on his bed. _Well, she did had a tough day today… _he thought, as he stared at her wet clothes hanging on his coat rack beside his desk, _I wonder how Sasuke found her… or recognized her… _he thought once more as he gazed back at his sister.

Naruko did change a lot, aside from her hair that hangs up to her waist; it was hard to ignore the drastic change of her chest. He was expecting to see a flat-chest blonde with shoulder length hair, not a model-liked figured blonde whose hair is similar to Rapunzel, no doubt most model agencies would want to take her, thought they'll have a little problem with her height. She is way smaller than him, if Naruto approximately have a height of 5'9", Naruko's height would probably be around 5'2" to 5'4", Naruto can't really tell. But he does remember that she is only up to Sasuke's mouth based on his observations earlier, and the raven is an inch taller than the blonde as far as Naruto's knowledge. And Sakura's height would probably be 5'5"… wait—

Naruto paused for a while, like his heart skipped a beat, or made a full stop.

_Sakura…_

He then rushed towards his desk to check his phone, only to see three messages from his brunette friend regarding the reservation for PE tomorrow and how his other brunette friend kept bugging him to remind the blonde about it, and tons of text from his other brunette friend regarding the same thing, and about Hinata. Then his godfather also texted him to take care of his sister while he finish all the works he left before in their godmother's hand. Then he also received a text that made him sad… a text from Sakura, telling him that she might not e able to help him with their research:

_But I will do my part, it's just, I have to be with my mother right now… family thing… I'm really sorry. We could combine our research during the weekend _

"Weekend huh…" he murmured as he placed down his phone back to his desk. He then turned around to check on his sister. _Still sleeping like a baby,_ he thought as he approached her and tucked her in to his blanket. He rummaged his closet after to bring out the thin mattress and placed in on the floor. He covered it with his extra bed sheet and took out his newly washed blanket with keropi design. _Heh, this brings back the old times, _he thought, upon remembering that the blanket was originally owned by none other than his twin. He then took his stuffed-frog, Gama, from Naruko's side and lied down, day dreaming about Sakura.

_What did I see in her anyway? _He said to himself. He rarely had a crush, most of them are blonde because they remind him of his sister, but what he feels for Sakura is quite different. _I guess it's just an infatuation. I mean, she is pretty, and her green eyes remind me of mom's eyes and Naruko's, _he thought, as he slowly slipped away from reality and slowly nearing to a wonderful dreamscape.

-o-

Tsunade was obviously not pleased to see her long time friend and former classmate, maybe because she's a bit drunk again. But who could blame her, being the new school head with bunch of new and wild freshmen to handle is so damn hard, especially if most of the students' parents complain about the tuition this year. But hey, everything is expensive nowadays, increase in tuition is nothing new to what's being overly priced lately like sakes. Tsunade refilled her recently emptied glass of sake as Jiraiya stared at her with a teasing smile.

"My, my, you haven't changed a bit Tsunade. I bet your luck is still as bad as before."

"Shut up, pervert man, I thought you're here to talk about some important matter, what is it then?" she said, before emptying the newly refilled glass. "As you can see, I'm pretty busy here." She continued, flailing her free hand with the folders on top of her desk. Jiraiya only managed to sigh as he leaned on the door. She offered him a glass but politely declined and excused himself from drinking, making her happy, the last thing she wanted to do before hearing her friend's news is to finish the bottle of sake all by herself.

"Well… what's the news?"

"It's about Orochimaru, I know where he is," He deadpanned, but received no particular reaction from the half-drunk blonde.

"So, what's the plan?" Tsunade asked calmly before downing the newly filled glass of sake. There was a short pause between the two when,

"I'm planning to infiltrate his company to get as many information as I can."

"What?!" She then slammed the empty glass to her desk. Jiraiya watched the glass broke into small pieces, with some portion pierced into Tsunade's hand, allowing the blood to mix with the sake on the table. He had never seen her like this – her hazel brown eyes were watery, her expression were soft like she was about to burst from tear, her hands were shaking with fear or pain because of the sake's sting on her wounded, bloody hand, she did have a phobia in blood before.

"Are you out of your mind, Jiraiya?!" she continued, but the white-haired man remained silent. She then slammed her hand once more on the table, still gripping the broken glass in her fist, drawing more blood on her hand. "You… you don't have to do this! Why are you doing this anyway? This is non-sense! This is—"

"I know, but we don't have other choice, right?" Jiraiya replied with a smile as he approached the hurt blonde. He rummaged his pocket and took out his handkerchief, attempting to clean the bloody hand of his friend, when she unexpectedly head to the sink in the corner of the room to clean it.

_And I was so close, so close on touching her hand. I thought this was my opportunity for her to acknowledge me. But it seems like she still sees me as a nobody, based on the expression she gave me when I told her I found Orochimaru… he is after all, a _genius_... A stupid genius who kills people for his own selfish gain, fuck that bastard, _he thought as he sat on the chair in front of the school head's desk.

"I won't allow you to proceed with your plan." Tsunade uttered in a shaky voice, "I… I… I don't want to lose you too. I've lost a lot of people for the past years. My grandfather, my brother, our sensei, Dan… I, I can't—" her tongue was suddenly caught upon feeling the warmth of Jiraiya's arms wrap around her waist, his warm breath blowing behind her ears, and his heart beat thumping at a fast rate. With the sound of pouring water from the half-opened faucet, and the dripping rain outside the building, her tears began to fall as she closes her eyes and pleaded, "Please, Jiraiya, please stay."

The white-haired man then smiled and tightened his grip on his blonde friend.

"Don't worry, you know me well, I always plot a plan with a solid strategy. I won't be one of Hiruzen-sensei's favourite students if I'm not awesome, right?" he teased, making Tsunade smile for a short moment.

"Yeah, come to think of it, you're supposed to be the one who is seated on that desk with bunch of paper works to do." She replied, pushing the big man lightly as she closed the faucet. "You even admitted that you're Hiruzen-sensei's favourite student, you deserve the title as the new school head."

Jiraiya then smirked and leaned on the wall with eyes locked on the ceiling.

"Nah, you deserve it more." He concluded, making the blonde curious. "After all, you're more responsible than I am, and your grandfathers were the people who established this school. Besides, I'm nothing but a pervert man with goddamn writing skills."

"You think so small of yourself, you're a great man, though it's not obvious because of the image you are currently portraying. But you're a talented man, more talented than I am," She said as she patted her friend's shoulder and headed back to her desk to clean the pieces of glass. "By the way, Naruto's in your class." She uttered after a short silence. "It might cause some trouble, but at least with you knowing it, it might lessen the danger that might come."

Jiraiya then burst into laughter, brightening the dark aura of the room a little. "Glad to hear that. Besides, I wanted to _bond_ with my godson for a while," He cheerfully said upon approaching his dear friend. He then grabbed Tsunade's hand and wrapped his handkerchief around her hand.

"I never thought you know little things about first aid."

"Special thanks to my beautiful and fierce doctor friend who always kick the hell out of me whenever I've done something bad," He replied. Tsunade only managed to smile as she watched her friend bind the handkerchief to her hand.

-o-

Naruto was about to enter to his magnificent dreamscape when something unexpectedly whacked a pillow to his face, jolting him up from the mattress with an alarmed expression. He quickly surveyed his bedroom, only to catch sight of his beloved sister sitting up straight on his newly fixed bed. She was staring at him with what seemed to be a perplex expression making his face turn red because of shame. Naruko then smiled sweetly towards her brother and said, "Thank you."

"Huh?" Naruto eyes widened upon hearing those words from his dear sister. "Thank you for what?"

"For accepting me…" she replied, her face gradually turning red as she looked down on her lap. "I've been a bad sister to you today… I… I want us to start over again." Naruto then approached her sister and gave her a warm big hug.

"We don't need to start over again. It was perfect to begin with."

"Nii-chan—"

"Naruko, I'm really happy you're back. You don't know how I wish for this day to come. After all, you're the only relative I've got. And I'm really happy that you also wanted us to get along well. I mean, it's been years since we last met each other, a lot of things have changed…" He then released her from his hug and placed both his hands on her shoulders and continued with a smile on his face, "But my love for you as your brother never changed even the tiniest bit. You're still the person leading in my heart, dattebayo!" he then released a sheepish smile, making her sister smile and cry at the same time. Naruto then brushed his thumb to her face and wiped the tears.

"Nii-chan, I also wished for this day to come." She then jumped towards her brother and hugged him tightly, making them fall on the mattress right beside the bed.

"Heh, not only your hair grew longer, it seems like you also gained weight." He teased, but instead of getting angry, Naruko replied with a laugh, when she noticed her brother's vibrating phone on the desk.

"Nii-chan, your phone," She then reached her brother's phone and handed it to him while sitting on his brother's lap. Naruto's expression gradually became serious as he discovered the person calling him.

"Who is it?" Naruko inquisitively asked but received no reply from the blonde male. She then stood up and took a peak on his phone, only to find out that it was one of the Uchiha calling him.

"Should I answer it?" Naruto asked upon looking up at his sister. Naruko only managed to shrug and leaned on the desk.

"Jira-jiji and Kashi-jii-chan didn't say anything about talking to an Uchiha via phone call… they only ordered us to avoid them personally." She said, trying to remember what their godfather and uncle said to them earlier. Naruto then sat on his bed and answered his phone.

"What makes you call at the time like this? What's up?" he said, trying to sound a bit cheerful despite of the awkward situation. Naruko remained silent, eyes locked on her brother. It took Naruto few minutes to make a certain reaction that made Naruko giddier about his conversation with Sasuke. She know her brother too well, he only makes that kind of expression towards Sasuke when there's something bothering the Uchiha. And knowing Sasuke, he rarely gets affected by problems, unless it is too shitty to handle for an average person. After all, if you are an Uchiha, your problem standard is much higher than a typical person, guess it shows how strong willed and prideful an Uchiha is. And with a soft, shaky, and manly tone, a voice began to utter the last few words Naruto feared to hear… Words that he last heard when he was still with him in the orphanage… words that almost led to Sasuke's downfall…

"_Naruto, I need to talk to you."_

___**-**__**End of Part 4**__**-**_  



	5. Run Away Project

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 5**

******-Run Away Project-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

"Oi, Sasuke! Are you still there?" Naruto blurted as he tried to cut the silence between him and the raven. It's been more than five minutes since Sasuke called and told him that he has to talk to the blonde. "What, your freaky cat Shiro got your tongue… or something?" he teased as he remembered the raven's black kitten, but delivered it a little bit awkward.

Sasuke's trembling deep inside. What should he tell him? Or better yet, how would he tell him? The _hey-my-brother's-alive_ line is _too_ gauche to cry out to someone who never in his entire life took things seriously in the beginning. Knowing Naruto, he always bursts into laughter first before getting serious, maybe it's his way to make things a little bit comfortable, but that is not what Sasuke wants, he always takes things seriously and everyone should also be the same to him.

This is serious shit. And is it also advisable to tell the blonde? What does he know anyway? Maybe almost everything? But the raven doesn't know that, and he is now freaking out, undecided whether to open this up to his closest friend or not… come to think of it should he really think of it as a big problem? He was actually glad to know that his brother is alive, but something deep inside of him feels hurt and betrayed. Why would your own brother hide from you for ten years? He's been living in a lie the whole time, with the knowledge that he is the only living Uchiha in the world. The fact that most of their distant relatives had their last name changed or died because of marriage and old age. Unless what he knows about their clan is also a big lie?

Confused and disturbed, he ended the call and lay on his bed with eyes locked in the ceiling.

"What the—?" Naruto expressed curiously with eyes as big as an owl's, "I think he's in serious shit"

"Why do you think so?" Naruko asked, showing a little concern towards the Uchiha.

"He rarely calls me through phone, and when he does, it only means two things."

"What are those things?"

"Well, first, if I left something or he has to remind me some things, or if I'm in trouble."

"It's more than one…"

"I know! It's considered as one… one… one set! And let me finish!" he said, one fist flailing in mid-air.

"Hai, hai, please continue." She said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, the second one's if he's carrying a big problem." He continued, his facial expression softened as he checked his phone, hoping that the raven would call again to clarify his reason for doing so in the first place. Naruto hated it when people call him without knowing why they called him in the first place then hang up like nothing happened.

"So nii-chan, you're suspecting that he's currently troubled and in need of your help?"

"No, not help…"

"What does he need then?"

"A company..." There was a short silence between the two. Naruto then sighed and continued, "Sasuke's been living all by himself for ten years. Ten fucking years. Unlike me, I got Kakashi-jii-san, and now I got you and Ero-sennin. But he got no one… no one but me. But of course he got you too, but—"

"I understand nii-chan." Naruko cut him off with a smile. "But I was thinking, what if… what if he knows about his brother, you know, being alive and all." She said, sharing the thought she had, which bothered the blonde. Naruko's not a future-reader, but most of her intuition, _mostly_, somewhat came true or definitely happens. One of the traits she got from their mother. But the thought just scares Naruto without any particular reason. The fact that his godfather and uncle did not clearly explain why they are in deep shit of danger and why they have to avoid Sasuke and Neji… oh and Hinata, Naruto almost forgot her, though Naruko doesn't know her so she has no business with the Hyuuga girl. Or maybe… the worst scenario is that he didn't get their explanation at all… In either way, Naruko's here, the smart-ass twin, she'll be able to explain it again to him in a simplified way. But the problem is, Naruko herself did not get their godfather and their uncle's point either, though she pretended to get it to save their ass. After all, the important thing is one of them understood what they are blabbering about.

All Naruko could hope for is that her brother understood the blabbering those two perv-men discussed with them earlier. She could ask their godfather to explain it one more time, that is, if he still has time for them to explain everything.

"Anyway, I'm kind of sleepy, let's just hope that it's nothing serious. Good night nii-chan." She said as she lied down on the bed and tucked herself in the blanket. Naruto soon did the same thing after closing the lights and opening the lamp on his desk.

"Good night."

_Good night… Yeah. It is night time, but I'm not so sure if it is good._

_Days have passed—no… weeks, two weeks to be exact, since I've met and talked to Sakura. She did send me her contributions to our homework, but what happened to her? I haven't seen her in our science class, and this university is so damn big, there's only little percentage that I would bump into her. I don't know what's happening to me, but not seeing her makes me feel, I don't know, incomplete? I've only encountered her once and she's making me feel like shit. Seriously though, what did I see in her? Is it this clip that I always hide inside my blazer's jacket? Why… why do I feel so fucked up while everyone around me is perfectly fine? To sum it all up, I need to ignore and avoid the only person who can understand me. Why… why do I even have to avoid Sasuke, dattebayo?!_

* * *

"Oi, nii-chan? Are you awake? C'mon it's Saturday, can we at least hang together?" Naruko whined as she peeked through the door to her brother's room to check Naruto. He's still lying on the mattress, eyes closed, arms wrapped around his stuffed-toy frog, he's still sleeping and it's already lunch time.

"Naruto! You've been like this the day after I got here. I thought you wanted to fix everything between us?" she continued, this time she was really shouting, completely ignoring her uncle shushing her.

"God-damn it! Wake up you bastard-ttebane!"

"Shut the hell up-ttebayo! I'm trying to sleep here!" the male blonde finally replied with an irritated voice, enough to make Naruko slam the door and join Kakashi in the living room.

"Well… you have any plans today, Kashi-jii-chan?"

"Hm…" he uttered while rubbing his masked chin, "Well, I have to finish checking the papers." He uttered while pointing at the pile of Math and English papers in the coffee table. Naruko then sighed and covered her face with her hands.

"Now, there, there, Naruko. It's not that I don't want to bond with you, it's just—"

"I understand, jii-chan. It's just, I wanted to get to know you more. After all, I and nii-chan will switch place soon."

"Eh?!" Kakashi questioned curiously and faced the young blonde female in front of him.

Naruko sighed and took a deep breath after before continuing her explanation. "Jiraiya-jiji told you he wanted to take Naruto with him, right? And he wanted to exchange me—"

"Mah, mah, you got it all wrong."

"Eh?!" The situation is pretty much in reverse now as Naruko and Kakashi's expression seems to interchange.

"Yes, it is true that Jiraiya-sama wanted to take your brother with him, but the exchange that he was talking about was the subjects that we were handling."

"What do you mean?"

"You see…"

"_Well, I was planning to have an exchange with you." The white-haired man uttered as he placed down the glass of water._

"_What?" Kakashi asked curiously. Jiraiya then flailed his hands and replied._

"_No, no, you got me all wrong. You see, I've noticed just now the pile of English textbooks in the corner, and Tsunade did mention that I'd be finishing the things I left. With that, Tsunade assigned me to take your math class two weeks from now."_

"_Ah. I see. So you wanted to teach in English class."_

"_If it is okay with you, I mean, you are my replacement, I don't really like taking back the things I already gave up."_

"_Mah, mah, it's okay. We could exchange class. It is quite hard to teach two courses."Kakashi replied with a smile, with that, Jiraiya also replied with a smile and rose from the chair._

"_Yosh! Let us talk this out to Tsunade tomorrow, shall we?"_

"_Hai. Demo, what were you saying about taking Naruto with you?"_

"_Oh, that, well… I wanted to bond with him for a while. To remove this guilt in my heart for not showing up to him for the past ten years, I feel like a bad godfather."_

"_I see. But Naruto never held a grudge on you, I assure that. He's even happy to see you. So there is nothing to worry about."_

"_Thank you, Kakashi."Jiraiya said before disappearing to the kitchen._

"Oh… so that's what really happened?"

"Yes. Say, how 'bout I treat you to lunch?"

"Why for?"

"Well, like Jiraiya-sama, I also feel guilty. I was, after all, supposed to save both of you."

"Thanks a lot, Kashi-jii-chan."

"Say, where did that word, _Kashi, _came from?" Kakashi asked curiously with a smile, making Naruko sigh.

_Seriously, does everyone have to ask that? _"I got used to it. Remember, I used to call you _that_ ten years ago."

Kakashi then rub his chin again and nodded to himself. "Ah, I remember now. Yosh. I'll wait for you to get ready. I'll just look for my wallet." He replied with a smile while secretly rummaging his pockets. _Now where did I place my wallet again?_

Naruko then stood up and nodded to her uncle, "Alright." Then she headed to her brother's room.

As she went inside Naruto's room, she gently closed the door and rummaged her luggage for her shirt, even though a lot of people compliments her body shape, she is still a bit conservative and prefers wearing shorts and sleeveless clothes only inside the house.

_Well, Naru-nii-chan is still sleeping, I'll just change here than go to the bathroom, _she thought before heading to the door once more after finding the clothes she wanted to wear. Then she began stripping while facing the door.

Naruto was actually awake, but was too lazy to get up or even open his eyes. He's been feeling a bit tired lately. He's been doing his best to avoid the raven, and to his surprise, the raven's cooperating quite well, which made the blonde a little bit curious and furious at the same time. With all of the problems he's confronting right now… well, he's not really sure if it _is_ a problem. But whatever he's currently facing, he preferred not to face it for now and chose to travel in his thoughts for a while… or maybe till lunch time.

_Good thing Kiba was doing a good job on distracting Hinata and distancing her from me. And well, I don't have a problem with Neji since I rarely see him. Plus, he finally cleared his name and is now taking the course he is supposed to take. Shikamaru finally confirmed his relationship with Gaara's sister, what is her name again..? Sabaku… Tabori…?_

_ Anyway… I'll just ask him again when he introduces her to us. Chouji finally showed me Ino's picture, and she is the pretty blonde girl in the café. Damn she's prettier than before. And I heard she's in the same building with Sai. I wonder if they're dating, after all, Ino likes black-haired guy, and Sai is like Sasuke's twin, only Sasuke's personality is much better than him. I think… _

"Blrugh…" Naruto uttered as he decided to rise from the mattress and head to the kitchen when…

"Holy—Damn!" He cried out as he began to realize that he was looking at none other than Naruko's bare back.

"Huh?!" she took a glance behind her and noticed her brother's red face. And in shock, she quickly put on her blue polo shirt and allowed her foot to land on her brother's face by instinct. "Ah!" she shouted. Kakashi then rushed in and stared blankly at the awkward situation upon opening the door.

"I guess Naruto's awake… Hurry up and change, time is running." He said cheerfully and gently closed the door. Naruko went out few seconds after with a pissed-off face and slammed the door close, leaving Naruto lying flat, half body on the mattress and face resting on the floor.

"Da…da…datte…ba…yo…" the only words he was able to utter with shaky voice.

Few minutes had pass, Naruto finally went out of his room with an obvious black-eye on his left eye.

"What happened to your eye?" Kakashi asked curiously upon standing from the sofa chair, followed by the blonde girl who seems to be looking down the whole time.

"Oh, _this_…" he was about to tell the whole story he when trailed off and saw Naruko's guilty expression, "I uh… wait. Weren't you there when this shit happened?" Naruto began to ask curiously, but only received a shrug from the gray-haired man. He then sighed and let Kakashi lead the way.

"Anyway, where do you want to eat?" he asked while walking down the stairs.

"Wait, you're treating us?! That's new." Naruto said, half teasing.

"Well, I was actually talking to—"

"Yosh! Let's eat at this ramen stall inside the campus. I think its name was Ichiraku Ramen or something like that."

_I was talking to Naruko, but I guess you have to treat the twins equally…_ Kakashi thought and sighed furtively, "Let's just eat at the Barbeque Restaurant down the street." He said, disappointing the male blonde, and surprisingly, the female blonde, who seems to be craving for ramen also.

They quickly found a good place by the window upon arriving at the restaurant. The restaurant is quite far from the university, so there would be less chance that the group would encounter someone they know. A perfect place for a peaceful _family _bonding time with no interruptions.

"Naruto-nii-chan, what happened to you for the past few weeks? Is college too much for you to handle?" Naruko said, half teasing. But to her surprise, her brother replied seriously.

"I guess. With all the problems we have right now. I'm not even sure if I should call it problems."

"Mah, mah, don't be so serious, it's not like you." Kakashi replied while patting Naruto's shoulder with a smile, "Anyway, how was your first meeting with Gai?" he said, trying to change the topic, and is also interested at the situation of his long time buddy who happened to started working in the university just a week ago.

"Oh, you mean the weird P.E. professor in green spandex?" Naruto asked monotonously.

"Yep." Kakashi replied, _I can't believe he still wear those kinds of clothes._

"Hm…" Naruto uttered upon remembering what happened to their first P.E. class with Gai-sensei…

What really happened in the P.E. anyway?

"Well…"

* * *

"_Good morning, beautiful youths of the earth! I hope you all had a scrumptious lunch today!"_

"_Don't forget the most important and very delicious meal of the day!" the P.E. professor added, but it seems like his assistant was not able to get his point. He then released a deep sigh and said, "Breakfast, Lee."_

"_Oh!" the assistant exclaimed and faced the students once more, "I hope you all had a wonderful morning and afternoon meal! This will give you enough energy for the exercises me and my youthful and mighty uncle had prepared for everyone!" He continued with his fist raised in the mid-air and wide grin stretched on his face, joined by his ever loving uncle and sensei that seems to be having his moment._

"_You've done well, Lee." He said, or rather, exclaimed to Lee with teary eyes._

"_Thanks, Gai-sensei." Lee replied with exact replica of his sensei's expression._

_Behind the several students in black shorts two inches above the knee, and white shirt with maroon linings on the side, and expressions even Da Vinci and Michelangelo cannot paint, stood five males in one horizontal line. The first one on the left with hair color similar to a red bean looked hungry and sick at the same time with no particular reason. Next to him is a tall brunette with a lazy expression, uninterested to watch and hear the commotion in front and preferred to watch the moving afternoon clouds instead, followed by a shorter brunette who seems to be busy arguing with the blonde next to him regarding the P.E. reservation._

"_I thought we could choose our own P.E., dattebayo?!"_

"_I didn't know it was only applicable to sophomores!"_

"_Yeah, whatever liar!"_

"_Hey! You and your foxy whisker scars! Go to hell!"_

"_Dog breath!"_

_So their argument was somewhat like that. Next to the blonde is a raven, whose eyes are narrowed, scrutinizing the sensei and his assistant in front._

"_Hey, isn't that Lee and his uncle, Gai?" he muttered to the two guys next to him._

_The dog and the fox turned to check out the two guys in green spandex in front for few seconds then began bursting with laughter, of course it could not be Lee and his uncle, they moved to other city few years ago. But then they dared to turn around once more to be sure, with head slightly tilted to the left, and stared at the two guys a bit longer this time. Then they rolled their eyes once more with an assuring smile stretched on their faces, still not believing that the two guys in front were actually Lee and Gai. And finally, for the third time with a big turn and eyes as huge as the moon, they stared at the two males in disbelief and cried from the top of their lungs…_

"_LEE!?"_

_And oh! The blazing youthful event grew more dramatic as the young man in green spandex, and haircut similar to an upside-down bowl, turned and faced the blonde and the brunette in slow motion, with drums and lyre playing dramatic melody in the background, as the university band passed by behind him, with one skinny drum-boy strips repeatedly, face first on the muddy ground of the field – a perfect scenario for long time friends reuniting once more._

"_Kiba-kun, Naruto-kun! I am far delighted to see your glowing youthful faces under the blazing glare of the afternoon sun with glee!" Lee cried out, pushing the students away from his path towards the two startled male, and gave them a big hug._

"_G…good to see you too, Lee." Said the dog while patting the young green-beast's back._

"_Oi, oi, the others are here too!" Naruto said with elation as he backed away a bit, allowing Lee to see the rest of the company._

"_Chouji-kun, you still have a bouncing youthfulness in you! Shikamaru-kun, you grew taller and you look manlier now, but your youthful eyes are still blazing with youthfulness, and Sasuke-kun… Ah!" Lee suddenly noticed the raven's duck-butt-less hair and his longer bangs, "Your hair is more youthful like the morning chicken!"_

_Sasuke's mouth twitched.** Morning… chicken?! **He thought while staring blankly at the cheerful young man._

_And with that, the raven's blank stare transformed into a more kindly-er smirk, and uttered his most famous reaction, "Hn."_

_It was a perfect start for a reunion of long-timed friends, when Gai unexpectedly interrupted their conversation and started with his warm-up exercises. Well, knowing Gai-sensei and his youthful energy…_

"_Yosh! As much as I wanted to prolong the WONderFUL reunion of long lost friends reuniting in this fantastic afternoon, we have to proceed with our warm-up exercises. We don't want you, beautiful and healthy students, get muscle cramps. Track and field is one of the extreme physical education here in the university, and it requires students with strong bones and…"_

"_Geez, when will this gay-sensei shut his blabbering mouth?" Some random student murmured to his friend, which was immediately heard by the tall brunette. Being caught up in a fight is not really his thing, but no one has any rights to insult someone close to him, not on his watch, never._

"_With all due respect, please mind your mouth. Keep it tightly closed if you got nothing sensible to say." He uttered upon tapping the two young men in front of him, who bitterly turned and face him with one eyebrow raised._

"_Mind your own business asshole!" the young man with orange, spiky hair hissed as he pushed away the brunette's hand off his shoulder violently. The big-boned guy immediately reacted on the situation and snatched the hand of the orange-haired guy's crumpled fist who was aiming to hit the brunette's face._

"_Chouji!" The brunette uttered in shock, Kiba and Naruto noticed the heating ruckus and joined the brunette, while Sasuke on the other hand, kept an eye on Lee and his uncle, checking if they'd noticed it too, but thankfully Gai was too busy with his youthful speech with Lee supporting and emphasizing his words. The last thing he wanted to happen was this little argument to get out of hand. For kamisama's sake, they're already college students. They should have handled this kind of stuff more maturely. But with little knowledge of what really happened, it is best not to get involve. Too bad, his two hot-headed friends snapped and the mighty brawl had set off in the field, catching every eye of students and other P.E. professors in the open area. The big-boned guy tried to stop the four wild young men but ended up getting involved in the fight. Without a referee to cease the fight, Gai took a deep breath and blew his whistle in front of the megaphone, creating a loud echo in the field, or in the whole campus. Few seconds after the deafening siren-like sound from Gai's whistle, it was followed by the school directress' loud voice from the office window, ordering Gai to keep it low, then a loud bang of the window which caused its downfall and fall into pieces. Good thing there were no casualties *hurt* from the falling glass pieces from the main building._

* * *

"Here's your order." The waitress uttered while placing their plates on the table. Naruto then shook his head as he went back to reality.

"Welcome back to planet earth, nii-chan, how was your trip to dream world?" Naruko teased while giggling. Naruto shot her an angry glare which made the female blonde laugh, Kakashi on the other hand joined Naruko in laughing.

"Hey, it wasn't even funny!" Naruto said with fist flailing in the mid-air.

"You… should have seen your face!" Naruko replied while slamming the table with happiness. Without any plan on how to get back on his sister, he began tickling her on her waist, making her laugh some more.

Kakashi observed the twins in front of him. He really missed the old times when the two of them were still young, and he was still young as well, and his sensei and the twins' mother were still alive. They were the perfect epitome of a perfect family. But like what the elderly says, nothing lasts forever, especially the good stuffs. _Now I'm having doubt it this kind of relationship of Naruto and Naruko will last, _he thought.

They were having a great time, laughing and teasing Naruto, the bickering of the twins and Kakashi chilling them down. It was so far, the happiest moment they had ever had since Naruko came to the two men's lives.

In the middle of their meal, the blonde male noticed some familiar faces enter the restaurant. It was his two buds, Chouji and Shikamaru. He was about to call them when he remembered that he's with his sister and uncle, he doesn't want to ruin their family bonding, but it seems like the two young lads noticed him and is currently approaching the male blonde's location.

"Naruto, I thought you don't like eating in this kind of place?" Shikamaru asked as he stopped in front of Naruto, then he noticed his companion staring curiously at the female blonde next to Naruto.

"I'll just wash my hands and do some business." Kakashi said with a smile as he excused himself from the crowd, enough for Naruto to notice Chouji's glances at Naruko then at him, like he was comparing him with her.

"Oh, by the way, this is my twin sister, Naruko." Naruto responded as she pulls out Naruko in the picture.

Chouji then smiled and waved at Naruko. _I knew it, they look like each other. She's like Naruto in female body, _Chouji thought while waving at her. Naruko smiled back and nodded. But Shikamaru seemed to be observing and analyzing the whole scenario he just entered.

"Oi, Naruto, I've been wanting to ask you this. Since when did you have a twin?"

"Ever since I was born?!"

"Then how come you never told us you have a twin? Well, you did when you asked me to help you look for her two weeks ago, but after that you never bothered explaining it to me." Shikamaru stated curiously, making Naruko a bit mad and glared at her own brother.

"You never told your friends you have a sister?" she hissed. Naruto then gave her a guilty smile while scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, you see, I don't really like explaining complicated things, dattebayo."

"You don't have to explain things to us, we'll get it instantly in one rundown. We're the only one who does the long explanation because it always takes you years to get the point." Shikamaru clarified. Naruto then shot a death glare at him which failed to scare the brunette.

"Oi slug! What I meant was—"

"We have to go soon, Naruto, we just dropped by to get the food we ordered. We have to meet Ino soon or else she'll get mad and lecture about our manhood again." Shikamaru interrupted upon noticing the time in the wall clock. He then nodded to Naruko and waved goodbye to Naruto. Naruto on the other hand stared blankly and clueless as the two young lads disappear from the door.

"I still hate you for not telling them beforehand that you have a sister." Naruko uttered, disturbing the silence between them while sulking in the corner. Naruto then put his arm around her shoulder and ruffled her hair with his other hand.

"Hey, sulking is not your thing. Besides, I wanted to introduce you to my friends personally." He said as he gently released his annoyed sister.

"Did you know girls hated their hair being touched?"

"C'mon! I always do that to you."

"Yeah, when we were still young and my hair was still in pig-tails." She then scoffed and looked away, "Anyway, what's taking Kashi-jii-chan so long in the toilet?" she continued. Naruto replied with a shrug and uttered as he leaned on the backrest.

"He did mention about doing some business." The male blonde answered upon glancing at the direction going to the toilet area.

"You're right." Naruko concurred. "Anyway, what happened that day?"

"What do you mean?' Naruto asked as he faced his sister who, to his surprise, was looking back at him.

"You know what I mean. The day when you had your P.E. class, what really happened?"

"I don't know what you're talking abou—"

"It was the same day you started acting weird. What happened? Is it something to do with Sasuke-kun?" she asked, making Naruto look down. "So it is about him."

"What do you want to know? _Why _do you want to know?" Naruto asked, hoping his sister would stop forcing him to spit the words out from his mouth.

"I'm your sister, of course it is normal for me to care. And besides, whether you like it or not, we are both involved in this jeopardy we are having right now, I have the rights to know what's happening between you and Uchiha."

"I think you mean Uchihas."

"Huh?" Naruko uttered upon giving her brother a curious face, "Uchihas? I'm not following you."

"I… I had a conversation with Sasuke before P.E. in the locker area." Naruto replied as he looked down at his lap.

"And then?"

"He told me the things he wanted to tell me when he called me a week before."

"Is that all?" Naruko asked, having a feeling that there's more in the story that Naruto's keeping to himself. With no further time to waste, Naruto finally grabbed all the courage he has and spitted out the words that was bothering him for days.

"I met Uchiha Itachi in person."

"_I… I need to talk to you." Sasuke finally said, Naruto faced him with wrinkled forehead._

"_Look, Sasuke, you've been telling me that since last week, and nothing, not a single word, came out of your mouth; you even hung the phone twice, twice! And now—"_

"_My brother…"_

"_Huh? Quit whispering I can't hear you."_

"_My brother's alive."_

"_What?" he uttered weakly like someone shot a bullet through his throat. This is it, the thing he feared the most to happen. "H… how did you—"_

"_He met up with me in a restaurant. He really is alive."_

"_I… uh…"_

"_We should stop seeing and hanging out with each other. I need to settle this on my own. I need to collect my thoughts for a while and sink this into my brain." The raven said when the blonde unexpectedly take hold both of his shoulders and shook it lightly._

"_No. I thought… I thought you said we're brothers?"_

"_**From now on, we'll be siblings to one another."**_

"_I thought we got each other's back? And now you're telling me you'll handle this on your own? Why… why do you have to be so selfish-ttebayo? I may not know the full details behind your family problem, but… That day… we swore to each other… And whether you like it or not, I'm with you! And will resolve this problem together!" Naruto exclaimed. But only received a smirk from the raven as he brushed off the blonde's hands._

"_Hn. Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late for P.E."He uttered as he walked away from the blonde._

_**You really are a bastard, Sasuke. But at least I know that you're still alright, that you're still not shattered. I… I don't want that thing to happen to you again. It took me years to look for you and bring you back where there is light.**_

"_I'll always be here for you, Sasuke."Naruto said to himself as he watched the raven disappear. _

_Later after the P.E. the group of friends bid farewell to one another and headed on different direction. All of them head to their respective homes except for Naruto who wanted to chill for a while and eat ramen, when he unexpectedly bumped at a mysterious man in coat and hat. He looked like an investigator in some films like Sherlock Holmes when he stared at the man for few minutes and realize who he was._

"_Uchiha… Itachi?!" He said, half whisper. His eyes almost rolled out from it sockets as he fixed them on the tall raven in front of him, like he saw a ghost of a very dangerous man. Itachi then reached his hand towards the blonde who was seated on the ground._

"_I didn't mean to scare you. And I originally don't have any business with you, but I think I might take this moment as an opportunity." He uttered with a smile. Naruto ignored the hand reached down on him and stood up, eyes still locked on the Uchiha. Itachi then gestured to join him in the Ichiraku Ramen stall to have a word with him. Naruto doubted at first if he should follow the Uchiha. After all, Jiraiya and Kakashi did warn him not to have any contacts with an Uchiha. But he did break it few hours ago, so talking to Itachi would not change anything at all. Besides, he was curious about the opportunity Itachi was talking about. Without any second thoughts, he followed that tall raven inside the stall and sat next to him._

"_How are you?"Itachi asked. Neither of them was looking at each other. Their faces were both fixated on the bowl of ramen in front of them._

"_I'm fine."_

"_That's good. How about Sasuke?"_

"_Look, what you did was wrong! Why… why did you let him live all by himself?"Naruto snapped and responded as he faced the shocked Uchiha. Itachi then smiled and returned his gaze back at the sizzling bowl of ramen._

"_I never wanted to leave him."_

"_Tch, yeah right. You should have known how much he had suffered." Naruto retorted while breaking his chopsticks into two and stuffed noodles in his mouth._

"_We were experiencing the same thing. But I have to revive our company first before I reunite with him. I think by now Jiraiya-sama told you about Orochimaru."_

"_Yeah. What about that bullshit?"_

"_Then you should know that he is a very dangerous opponent. That is why I have to secure our properties first."_

"_So those things are far more important than Sasuke?" Naruto replied angrily and slammed the table with his free hand, eyes fixated on the empty bowl. He was about to ask for another round but he is too angry right to even bother._

"_I need to secure our property first in order to save Sasuke. I cannot fight Orochimaru and protect Sasuke without anything at hand. Do you understand now, Naruto?" Itachi explained calmly. But received no reply from the blonde, but at least his reply cooled Naruto down a bit._

"_I understand. Then what was the opportunity you were talking about a while ago?" Naruto then faced the Uchiha and waited patiently for his reply. He is still mad at the tall raven for leaving Sasuke, but he wanted to help. He used to treat Itachi like his older brother, and he is still acting like one. Plus he liked the idea of Sasuke reuniting with his brother again. After all, it was the raven's long time wish._

"_I want you to stay away from Sasuke for the meantime."_

"_What?!" Well, it wasn't what Naruto have in mind. "Why, dattebayo?!"_

"_It's far too dangerous for the two of you. Especially Orochimaru's main target is you and Naruko. If he finds out that you and Sasuke are close to each other, it would be easy for him to track the two of you down. At least, if one of you were traced by Orochimaru, I or Jiraiya-sama would be able to act accordingly."_

"_Ero-sennin also told me that."_

"_I see, so Jiraiya-sama **did** explain everything to you already."_

"_Yeah, but you would definitely do what it takes to win Sasuke back right? I mean you'd have a hard time pleasing that bastard, considering the years you've hid from him."_

"_Yeah. I'll do that." Itachi replied with a smile as he rose from the stool and left, leaving the two bowls of ramen that he had already paid, one belonging to Naruto._

"Alright, I'll be there in few minutes. I just had lunch with the twins. I know. Hai." Kakashi then hung up and tuck in his phone back to his pocket while glancing at the twins who seems to be tackling some serious things. And for some reason, Naruto looks bothered. He then decided to approach the twins and find out what they are talking about.

Naruko immediately notice Kakashi from her peripheral view and changed their topic. Naruto talking to the two Uchiha should remain a secret between her and the male blonde.

"So, what happened to Sakura?"

"Eh?!" Naruto responded, uncertain on how to react on the topic his sister brought up. Then he finally noticed Kakashi and realized what she was doing. "I don't really know. I haven't contacted her for weeks now." He said, acting to be really, really down. And to his surprise, Kakashi fell on their acting.

"Ah… talking about the girl you liked, how sweet of you to share it to your sister." Kakashi said good-naturedly as he sat once more in front of the twins.

"Well, she is a girl, maybe if I tell her about Sakura, I might understand why she's gone missing for two meetings now in our science class."

"I see, it is a good choice, Naruto. But I believe we have to leave as soon as possible?"

"Why is that?" Naruko asked seriously.

"Well, Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama wished to speak to me in the office. I have to be there right away, you can tour Naruko around for a while or head back to the apartment if you like." Kakashi replied to the two.

"Wait a sec. Is that building a condominium or an apartment? I can't really tell. I mean, it's the first time I've encountered an apartment that has an elevator." Naruko asked. Kakashi and Naruto stared at each other for a while, unsure what to answer to the blonde female until Naruko shrugged, "Don't answer, let's just go." She said. And everyone stood up and head outside of the restaurant.

To everyone's surprise, Kakashi did pay for their lunch, which is very rare. Knowing him, he is usually tight when it comes to money. Particularly the main reason why Naruto always have packed lunch because Kakashi only gives him a little amount of money since he was still in high school.

As the three walk their way back to the apartment, Kakashi stopped in front of the university's gate and faced the twins.

"We'll separate from here onwards. Stay safe you two." Kakashi uttered, seriousness was visible on his expression. The two blondes nodded and watched their uncle walk away from them.

The university is big enough to be occupied by thirty buildings positioned around the two vast fields and a park in the middle in a perfect circle like the Stonehenge, though the whole campus itself is surrounded with tall brick fence in square. There are nine gates all in all, two on each sides of the campus, and three on the south part of the university including the main gate.

As you enter the main gate of the university, the first thing you will notice is the wonderful park with food stalls on the side and tons of trees and flower boxes, and benches that is always occupied by the students. And the first building you would see is the main building where all the offices are residing. It is the biggest and the tallest building in the campus that composes twelve floors. On its right is the university hospital, the second largest and tallest building with ten floors, with a neighboring drugstore on its side with three floors, the smallest building in the campus. On the right side of the Main Building erected the university's grand theatre that composed of ten floors as well. Then the rest of the buildings are college buildings with nine floors each. From the hospital onwards are the buildings for courses like law, medicine, business courses, and other education and communication related courses (though each buildings handles relatively courses like the science buildings that composed all branches of sciences like chemistry, biology, etcetera.). And from the grand theatre onwards are the buildings for art courses such as interior design and painting, architecture, engineering, and culinary related courses and other technical courses. All buildings are elongated and are white with black door and window frame. The windows and doors are so clear that you can see the students walk around, even the students who are sleeping inside their classroom. All materials and furniture inside each building are modern classic and are mostly in neutral colors, though all of them are eco-friendly. Except for the grand theatre that has a little touch of old English style. The campus is filled with different kinds of trees, accompanied with street lights on the side of the road and side walk.

The university itself has a wonderful ambiance, no wonder it is the number one university in the world, surely, the city of Konoha is lucky to have this university erected on its vast land. And since it is the top university in the world, having the privilege to study there must mean that you are the best students in the world, and that there is no doubt that you would be successful after graduating, based on its high-standard in education, and difficult entrance examination test.

"Well, he's unexpectedly generous today." Naruto uttered as the gray-haired man finally vanished behind the trees, Naruko coincide as she hooked her arm to her brother and entered inside the campus.

"Where do you want to go?" the male blonde asked, but received no reply from his female mirrored persona who, on the other hand, was too busy admiring the picturesque surrounding. He then sighed with an imperceptible wince marked on his face. He kind of admits to himself, he is enjoying his peaceful stroll with his sister inside the campus.

"Is it okay with you if you tour me around the campus for a while before heading back to the apartment?" the female blonde asked gently with a smile implanted on her face as she looked at her brother. Naruto then gave her one of his infamous sheepish smile and nodded.

"Of course-ttebayo, I would love that." With that, Naruko smiled and happily glance back at the scenery she was looking at, the cosmic fields and the park.

"It's kind of boring inside the apartment, oh! Let's go buy food after in case Kashi-jii-san and perv-jiji arrives late later."

"Mhm. We could do that."

"And we could watch movies after. Kashi-jii-san mentioned a while ago you have tons of DVDs."

"Mhm. We could do that too."

"Then you will continue your story about your conversation with the two birds."

"Mhm. We could do—what?!" Yep, Naruto well know that their conversation will lead to that, he really is expecting it. Wait… birds!?

"Na… Naruko, what do you mean by _birds?_"

Naruko then sighed and hissed, "The Uchihas. Birds equals ravens equals the Uchihas. Get it? Ever heard of the word _codenames_?"

Now _that_ is what he was expecting.

"Geez, can't you make any codenames that is easy to comprehend?"

"It _is_ easy to comprehend, you're just too slow!"

"I am not, it is just—"

"NARUTO!"

"AH!" the blonde twins screamed in sync as they heard a cry behind them. Both of them turned around and saw no one but a male brunette in brown khaki pants, a dark blue polo shirt under a black jacket with hood, and a white puppy's head peaking from his red bag pack sling on one side of his shoulder.

"Kiba?" Naruto, who is uncertain on how to react on the situation, uttered with an awkward smile. Kiba on the other hand, was panting. Clearly he was chasing his blonde friend.

"I've been looking all over for you, why weren't you answering your phone?" The brunette finally said as his breathing finally stabilized. The male blonde, stared at him curiously and began rummaging his pockets.

"Oh, about the phone. I left it in the apartment by accident. What's wrong?"

"It's about Hinata. I need your help."

"But I thought I already told you—"

"I know. I wouldn't approach you for nothing, idiot. "

"Then what is it?" the blonde male impatiently asked. Kiba then sighed and began his explanation. Naruko on the other hand, stifled a sigh, she felt like an invisible entity standing near the two boys that she cannot point out whether the two were fighting over something, or discussing something important, or… just talking maybe. But the fact that she is being ignored completely, she can't help herself not to butt-in into the situation.

"So… what exactly is going on here?" she asked politely, startling the brunette, causing him to pause for a while and stare blankly at the girl who happens to be Naruto's twin. And with no further due, Naruto immediately introduced his sister to his friend.

"Naruto, since when did you have a twin?"

"Can we just go, I'll explain on our way to the hospital."

"You're right." With that, the two male ran off, with the curious female blonde on their tail. Great, just when the twins had finally settled their plan for today, some brunette dog-lover boy would enter into the picture and ruin everything, life is good. Plus, they are running in the middle of the field, heading to who knows where, to check on some things.

Apparently, the two males were a bit far from her, and she cannot clearly hear what the two were talking about. But she did heard the brunette ask about her, but her brother quickly shifted their conversation back to the problem, which surprised Naruko because the brunette did not even notice that Naruto didn't answer the question he asked, and now he is explaining _everything_ again to Naruto. The female blonde actually did not know if she would be amazed at her brother's talk-style, or she would be angry because her brother did not even bother to explain their relationship to the brunette.

They're in the park now and they are almost near their destination, and it seems like they are heading to the hospital, much to Naruko's excitement. She loves running, only if she's not wearing a pair of jeans and a pair of doll shoes. And just when she tried to catch up with the two, she felt her ankle twitched, causing her to jerked around and fall on the grass, butt first. Naruto then paused upon noticing and approached his sister, much to Kiba's surprise. But Naruko insisted him to go with the brunette wherever they are supposing to head.

"I'll be fine, I'll just rest my ankle and wait for you in the bench nearby." Naruko said with an assuring smile, hoping that it would lessen her brother's worry. Naruto then helped his twin up and rested her on the bench she was talking about, and ran towards the brunette after promising that he would not be long. He is still worried though, knowing that his sister is hurt. Kiba then patted Naruto's shoulder as they enter inside the hospital.

"She'll be alright. This won't take long, I promise."

"Just finish that class already and head back here in the hospital-ttebayo."

"Yes I will alright. I just can't leave her alone, not with her sudden asthma attacks."

Naruto then sighed and nodded and head towards the female Hyuuga's room, while the brunette head to his class.

"Geez. I wonder how long Naru-nii-chan would would last inside." Naruko uttered to herself as she folded her knees to her chest and hugged it, while her other hand gently rub her hurt ankle. She stayed in that position for who knows how long until a familiar voice suddenly spoke to her.

"Why do I always see you in that position?" the man asked, Naruko immediately raised her head, and to her surprise, it was the _only_ person she was suppose to avoid, Uchiha Sasuke. But before she could even do something to shove the man away, he already knelt in front of her and inspected her ankle.

"It's fine actually, you should go—OW!" she cried as the raven pressed his thumb to her ankle, increasing the pain she is currently feeling, "Why the fucking hell did you do that?"

"If it is fine, then why did you yell in pain?" he asked, silencing the female blonde in front of him. He then sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Give me your ankle."

"What?!"

"Just do it." And with his order, the blonde released her folded legs and let the raven gently place it down on the ground. He then massaged the sprained ankle with expertise and smirked.

"You are as clumsy as ever, Naruko."

"Sachi—"

"I thought you'd start calling me by my name?" the raven teased, making the blonde's face turn red with irritation, and of course, who wouldn't avoid blushing with Sasuke's trademark smirk?

"I told you, I'm still not used to it."

"Hn." He uttered. A short silence gave dawned between them, that Naruko wished she did not break.

"I heard you spoke to Naruto about your brother."

Sasuke stiffened, clearly it wasn't what he wanted to converse with her. Surely he planned on ignoring the twins, but he just cannot ignore Naruko that easily. The smirk on his face gradually faded and Naruko really hoped that she did not bring it up.

"I… I'm—"

"It is true."

"Huh?" Naruko then stared blankly at the raven whose eyes locked on her ankle. The raven then sighed and looked at her.

"What your brother told you were true. U…" he trailed off, it is still hard for him to admit that is brother is a hundred and one percent alive. He then took another deep breath when he felt two hands pat both his shoulders.

"It's okay, I understand. I mean, if that happens to him I would also force myself to deny that it is true." Naruko casually comforted with a smile. This is what Sasuke likes about Naruko, she is not like her brother, she is way mature that Naruto.

"Hn. Be careful next time. And please do remember that it will forever be your weak ankle, so avoid twisting it if you don't want to lose a foot." He said teasingly, changing the topic they have. And to Naruko's surprise, her brother's not the only one who has powers on changing topics.

"Yes, Sasuke-nii-chan. I will be forever careful with my beloved ankle." She said with a laugh. She noticed that the raven's glance is still locked on her ankle. She then planned to kiss his forehead in appreciation. Though there are actually two problems she encountered. 1) Sasuke unexpectedly looked up at her, causing her kiss to land on his untouched lips, 2) Someone actually saw the whole thing, and believe it or not, that other blondie girl was not happy with her view. Upon realizing that she was kissing the raven on his lips, she immediately pulled away from him with face as red as the tomato.

"I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean... I was—" Naruko trailed off, upon realizing that Sasuke's lips were back to hers. Sasuke on the other hand was not planning to do such thing, but there was something that urged him to do it. Maybe because he doesn't want her to feel guilty because of her innocent mistake, but why is this taking so long?

He was up on his feet, leaning while his lips rests on hers, his hands cupping both her currently warm, soft cheeks, heads were tilted. His lips were moving on its own, and without noticing it, he was softly and gently nibbling her lower lip with his lips. Naruko was in shock, her eyes were wide open, the whole scene was not inking into her mind and she is letting the Uchiha do it. Everything was happening so fast, and the pleasure she is currently feeling as his tongue touches her lower lip and—what? Her senses finally came back and she managed to pull off successfully from the passionate kiss, her first ever kiss. Sasuke, on the other hand, stood straight, and looked around imperceptibly for prying eyes, luckily no one saw them, well, someone must have been watching, it is still early in the afternoon. His glance travelled back to the sitting female blonde who was covering her lips, eyes as wide as the moon. The immediately stood up and faced the raven, who was a bit startled by her action.

"Well, that was clearly unexpected." She said while tucking some loose strands of her hair behind her ears, avoiding the raven's glance.

"Yep, clearly unexpected." He concurred. Another silence dawned again.

"Well. I should be going, my godfather might worry if he finds out that I'm wandering alone in the campus."

"Are you?" the raven asked, he knew too well that Naruto would not allow her wander all by herself. And he knows that Naruko is not really an expert in running away.

"Everything changes, you know that." And yes, one thing that never changed in Naruko is her ability to read expressions, no matter how good you are at hiding it.

"Hn, I guess you're right." He answered, and finally, the female blonde looked at him in the eyes again. Seconds ago he was worrying she would get mad at him, but it looks like everything's okay with her.

"I… um…" Or maybe not.

"I should be going now, bye!" she finally spitted out. She then waved goodbye at the raven with a forced smile and ran as fast as she can towards the apartment without daring herself to look back at the Uchiha she left in the park. The only thing she could hope is that she's going the right way.

Sasuke watched her till her silhouette fades. He clearly doesn't know if she's mad at him, if she fears him, or anything. Without any business in the park, he then too decided to head back to his home and rest. Unknowing to the raven that someone _did_ see the whole thing, and boy was she really hurt. Of all the things she would see, Ino was not expecting to see the raven again, and the worst part is, he was kissing the blonde girl she saw in the café weeks ago, the girl the blonde guy knows. She was actually unsure if she should tell the cerise about it, but then again, what Sasuke did to her is still somewhat raw in Sakura's heart. If only someone would eventually cook that raw meat until it burns into ashes, and bring back the happiness that once resides in Sakura's heart, it would surely make Ino happy. As she sensed that Sasuke already left, she immediately stood from the tree where she was leaning and head towards her next class as fast as possible, in fear that the raven might see her.

* * *

Sasuke finally arrived in the orphanage, still a bit shocked of what he had done earlier. The last thing he wanted to do before doing his homework is to rest for a while and clear his mind. With a sigh, he quickly climbed up the stairs and head to his room, which he clearly remembered he left untidy, probably Mayu-sama's doing. He lied on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, and allowed his thought traced back to Naruko. She initiated it first, and he, on the other hand, only reacted to her actions. If ever someone saw them, that would probably their conclusion about the scene, but it was actually nothing but an accident. An accident that resulted to something he, a genius, cannot even comprehend.

It was, so to speak, a warm kiss that makes him itch for more. Those delicate, soft lips against his that he now craves, is something that he should not touch ever again, but then again, why her?

He had known Naruko since they were toddlers, and for the record, she is the only person he cannot get mad at – with her teal, innocent eyes and sweet smile, who would right? It was the opposite of her brother's quirky smile that irritates you sometimes. He had treated her like his own sister, and today, just a while ago, what had he done? He was actually an inch close of breaking his brotherly image to her. Why did he do such thing? Who was he kidding, of course he knows. After seeing her on his way to the orphanage weeks ago, he'd been dying to talk to her again, to feel her presence, to bring back the old times, but he knows it would never happen. She, no… Sakura does not deserve every inch of him. As he felt tears well up on his eyes, he immediately closed it, hoping to doze off as soon as possible, when series of knocking from his door interrupted his solemn silence. It was Mayu-sama.

"Sasuke dear?" she always calls him that. He did not mind though, he likes it. It makes him feel like he has a mother. And for no particular reason, her voice soothes him and makes him calm.

"What is it, Mayu-sama?" he asked, polite as ever.

"Oh, great, you're awake. You have a visitor." She said cheerfully. But, who would visit him at times like this?

"Hair color?" he asked. Mayu knows he's choosy when it comes to visitors, so she's used to being asked about physical appearance.

"Brown, my dear."

"Alright, he may come in." he as he sat up to meet his visitor. But who could his visitor be? It cannot be Shikamaru for Mayu-sama only mentioned one. And knowing that brunette, he is quite inseparable with Chouji, and he never, ever visited him alone. Obviously it cannot be Hyuuga Neji, he is not really close to him, and he could feel that the Hyuuga boy somewhat despite him. The only brunette he knows that would visit him alone is Kiba. Maybe he has girl issues again, and maybe he could not open it up to Naruto because he is involved again. Seriously, he is very much unlucky when it comes to girls. Its either the girl he likes is taken, or likes someone in his friends. But he sure heard him say clearly that he has Saturday class. With growing anticipation, Sasuke waited patiently and watched the door slowly open.

Wait. He was sure he heard her say brown. Damn, he forgot one thing, that is why he always asks the hair style, the body built, and the height. Mayu-sama is color blind. _Fuck,_ he thought as a black-haired man entered his room.

"May I speak with you, little brother?"

_**-**__**End of Part 5**__**-**_

_Sometimes, the person you despise the most, is the person whom you always encounter. _

_You may think life is unfortunate because of that._

_But come to think of it, sometimes that person you despise_

_Is the person who cares for you the most…_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the cliff-hanger... again. I just couldn't help it. And I also apologize for making Sasuke kiss Naruko, it wasn't supposed to happen, but I need to do it for the later part of the whole story. And I assure to you guys, Naruko will never have a pair, ever. Their kiss was just the last piece in the puzzle that would complete the later chapter, and this will be her last kiss, yeah. And sorry if Sakura suddenly disappeared in the picture (trust me, this is still a NaruSaku fic) just be patient for a while and their _moments_ will eventually happen soon. For now, let us just unveil the secrets behind the characters' pasts :) and yeah, let me know what you think about this fic so far, yeah. Okay, enough with my incessant blabbering. Take care ya'll!


	6. A Friend

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 6**

******-A Friend-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

_**Have you ever wished that you could turn back the time when you've done something that could've turned out okay but didn't?**_

_**Regrets.**_

* * *

_"How have you been, Sasuke?" Itachi asked upon closing the door behind him, but only received a glare from the sitting raven._

"_What on earth are you doing here?"_

"_What's wrong? You could have at least said hi or hello in return, it's not like it's our first meeting. I'll have you know, all conversations starts with a hello and ends with good bye, as with any relationship. But let's not go there, That is, may I say, another lesson for another__time."_

"_Rot in hell, Itachi. I do not need your lecture on how to greet scumbag people like you." __**Damn that Itachi, acting adorable. Hn, it is not working!**_

"_That was harsh, Sasuke, I was—"_

"_I thought I made it clear last time that I will never come with you. Now go awa—"_

"_Foolish little brother, no matter how many times you shove me away, I am still your brother. And the only thing you can do is to accept the fact that we share one blood, and we are together in this thing."_

"AH!" the raven screamed. Another dream had visited him again, or a nightmare. Ever since his second encounter with his brother, things had started to get a little off balance. One perfect example is his sleeping habits. It became hard for him to sleep at night without replaying his last conversation with his brother. To top it all off, it also plays in his sleep. If only there is an erase button in the brain that could remove unwanted memories, Sasuke would probably be happy to just simply click that button and erase that scene forever.

"Sasuke dear, are you alright in there?" Mayu asked, concerned about the raven's condition. She regretted letting Uchiha Itachi meet him again for the second time. Especially the raven did not even blame her for doing such thing. She sees him like her own son, a son that she always hurt. "Just approach me if you need anything, Sasuke dear."

_Sasuke dear, _now those words are starting to piss him off. Can't he have a quiet time for himself?!

"Sasuke de—"

"I am _**fine**_, just let me be." He cried out, startling Mayu. Sasuke never talked to her in that way before. He was always polite, and calm. Mayu then looked down and head back to her room nearby, hoping that it would be the last time that Sasuke would raise his voice towards her.

The raven was as shock as his aunt. Seriously, what's gotten into him lately? After his pep-talk with his older brother, he started acting like he cannot feel anything. He hardened himself too much just to block the leaking sorrow in him that he cannot even feel the sorrow he is causing to the people around him. And his actions towards Mayu earlier just hit his crazy head off and returned him back to his usual self. Well, almost, but at least he could give considerations to other people, and treat them the way they should be treated. After all, good people are supposed to be treated well. And only _those_ who have done well to him deserve such treatment, and Uchiha Itachi is not on that list.

And as someone's pride rises up to the heavens, someone else's pride is starting to sink below the ground line. Everything seems to be messed up lately.

* * *

"Kiba, please, I'm begging you."

"Why… why do people always have to ask me favours like this? Do I look like a baby sitter, or a… a…"

Kiba never thought that the genius Hyuuga Neji would ask such a thing. He was lucky enough for said Hyuuga to consider him as one of his friends, despite of how he trash talked him before, but people do change. And the haughty and bumptious Neji that he knew before is now setting all his egos aside and is begging in front of the brunette. "… a… a…"

"A what?" Neji asked in a curious than furious way, causing the brunette to flail his hands in the mid-air in tense.

"I don't know okay, but why me?"

Seriously, Kiba should calm down, the guy is not even harassing him, he was just asking a simple favour. There's no need to be nervous about. Neji's expression is a hundred percent calm and no signs of threat.

"It's because you're the only one who is currently available, please just help me. I'll give you money for all the expenses you'll need on this." The Hyuuga said, almost pleading. In fact, it hurt his pride to do such thing. He's a _Hyuuga_, for crying out loud. It's a name known around the world. The only reason he's persuading the brunette is because of his god-damned schedule, and his fear that his Uncle Hiashi and his father would not meet their expectations, he was assigned to take care of the heiress, and it is indeed a heavy duty. If only everyone is not expecting too much on him. Plus, Naruto seems to be avoiding him, with no particular reason, but whatever it is, it must be related to what his uncle and father was talking about for the past weeks. "Kiba, please, only for a month."

"Only for a month?"

"Or maybe for the whole semester."

"What the fuck man! Why do people always have to ask me favours that always involve none other than Hinata? This is sick man!" Kiba burst out.

_Hn, this is interesting._ "What do you mean by your penultimate statement?" the Hyuuga asked. Everyone knows how protective Neji towards Hinata, and Kiba's little confession might just put him on the edge of the cliff, and fall on it soon if Neji finds out that he's hitting-on Hinata under Naruto's favour. And that might ruin Neji's trust on him.

"Fine, it's a deal. But only for the whole semester, okay?" the brunette uttered, looking elsewhere other than the Hyuuga's eyes.

_That was… quick? I didn't even do anything yet, I just asked about… shit,_ Neji immediately thought as his persuading expression converted into a more serious one. "Kiba, is there something I should know?"

Cold sweat is now running down on Kiba's face. Who wouldn't be scared, Neji just got serious for someone's sake! And it only means trouble. Damn if only Kiba is as good at escaping this kind of situation like Shikamaru.

"I uh… You see, I have to go, Neji. I'll see you tomorrow!" the brunette said as cheerful as possible and immediately turned about when the Hyuuga called him out.

"Just a second."

_Shit, Neji. Stop using that tone man, it is creeping the hell out of me, _the brunette thought as he faced the stoic Hyuuga once more. He then began clearing his throat and asked "What is it?"

"The deal starts today."

"Oh…"

* * *

"Kiba-kun, I never thought you'd be here again." The Hyuuga heiress stated with a little hint of elation in her voice. No one visits her but her cousin Neji. The fact that her father and uncle doesn't know that she has been sent back to the hospital because of some business matter, and seeing Kiba's face makes her feel that there is also someone who cares for her other than her relatives. "Have you eaten already?"

"Uh… eh…" the brunette doesn't really know how to answer the heiress' question. He doesn't want to make her feel that he's just forced to take care of her, nor does he want her to feel like he's baby-sitting her, which he is. "No not yet, want to eat somewhere?" Well, at least that might work.

But the heiress is not that ignorant, but she decided to play with it. After all, at least the brunette is doing his best not to make her feel like someone's watching over her. With that, Hinata nodded and followed the brunette outside of her hospital room.

"The doctor said you can't go beyond the campus, and well, all the yummy foods are bought outside of the campus…" Kiba was obviously talking to himself, but Hinata was eagerly listening to the brunette who was looking up at the afternoon clouds while rubbing his chin, while thinking of a way on how to feed the Hyuuga girl. Hinata, on the other hand, was sitting patiently on the bench under the tree in front of Kiba. "Say, why don't you wait for me here and I'll go buy us some food?"

"That would do. But…"

"I know. It's dangerous. Damn, if only there's a way where…" the brunette trailed off. And the light bulb on top of his head finally lit as he thought of a way. "Say, Hinata, have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?"

"Um… only once, I was with Neji-nii-san," the heiress shyly uttered while playing the hem of her jacket. With that, Kiba gave her one of his smirk and began leading her to the parking lot, where he introduced her to his beloved baby.

The two then took off and head to the restaurant that serves healthy food. It's somewhat expensive but is should be worth it. They are using Neji's money. Damn, life is good.

"Th…thank you for the wonderful meal." The Hyuuga girl shyly uttered as she finished her meal. The brunette scratched behind his head and giggled with a smile in reply.

"Heh, it was nothing. Actually, it's not. I rarely treat people so you really have to thank me," he said teasingly, making the Hyuuga laugh. "But may I ask, what's wrong with you? I mean, why are you always sent to the hospital?" _I did saw her faint when she was on her way to the hospital, luckily she doesn't recall that I was the one who helped her._

"Well. I uh… I…" Hinata doesn't really know how to break it to the brunette. It was actually hard to accept, the fact that Tsunade-sama was not able to tell Neji about it. "I have a uh…"

"Heh, it's okay, don't mind my question. I was just curious. You don't have to force yourself to tell me."

_He's too kind… He reminds me of Naruto-kun so much. But I… I don't want to think him like that. But still I do wish someday, Naruto-kun would visit me. _

"Well… I uh… I have a heart disease, and I am not allowed to stay under the sun for too long and get dehydrated, or exhausted and..." Hinata finally divulged to the brunette.

Kiba almost got choked on the water he was drinking upon hearing the heiress' revelation and tried his best to hide it, so as not to offend the Hyuuga. Some of her words were almost not audible. But what actually surprised him the most is the girl's pained smile. Hinata herself was doing her best to hide her feelings.

"Neji-nii-san and father knew about it. I had an operation before when I was ten. I... it was successful though. Well, we all thought it was. I—"

"Stop." Kiba interrupted, he cannot take it anymore. The last thing he wanted to see is a suffering girl in front of him confiding something that who knows what effect it would do to her. "I don't really care about it."

Kiba's words pained Hinata. To think that he's the only person whom she talked to about it. With that, Hinata looked down in disappointment and in humiliation.

"I don't really care about your disease, the fact that I don't know what it does to you. All I know is that you're still alive, and healthy. You're not even as skinny as the models, not that I want you to. But my point is that, you look healthy, you don't even look like you have a heart disorder." Kiba finally finished with a sheepish smile. Well it was not what Hinata was expecting.

"Shall we go?" Kiba asked. Hinata shyly nodded, and with that, both of them stood up and decided to head back inside the campus, before the doctors find out that they are gone.

"Ano…"

"Hm? Am I driving too fast?" Kiba asked as he turned around to check the Hyuuga girl who's face is as red as the tomato. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Ano… is Naruto-kun mad at me?"

Well, Kiba was not expecting her to ask such thing.

"Why did you ask?"

"Well… He's not replying to any of my text messages, and he never visited me in the hospital."

"Heh, don't be down. His schedule's just all crammed, that's all." Actually, it was a lie. Naruto doesn't even have a class every Wednesday and Saturday. Kiba doesn't have Wednesday classes as well, but he has Saturdays, much to his dismay. It was one of his reasons why Kiba immediately searched for Naruto last Saturday since he cannot contact the male Hyuuga, instigating him to meet the other Uzumaki.

"Is that so?" The Hyuuga uttered dejectedly.

"Hey, what did you see in him?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you like him, right?"

"Eh?!" she squeaked, resolving the brunette's curiosity. Kiba then released a loud laugh.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me your reason for liking him. I was just curious." He said, half teasingly, imagining her red face. He felt her head nod from his back, and with that, he smiled and returned his full focus on the road.

But for some reason, he cannot focus on the road. He was busy paying to attention to something else, like the girl behind him, her hands on his waist, her head resting on his back, her full weight against him. Wait, her full weight against him?

"Hinata? HINATA?!" He cried, but received no response from the Hyuuga heiress. He then made a full-stop on the side to check on his passenger, only to find out that she just fell asleep.

"Huh, are we here in the hospital?" Hinata uttered innocently. Kiba then sighed in relief and smiled at the said Hyuuga. Hyuuga people sure know how to make him really tense.

"I thought you fainted."

"Oh no, I just fell asleep. I always feel sleepy after a heavy meal. Sorry for scaring you."

"Well you sure ate a lot." Kiba teased, but Hinata took it a bit serious.

"I did eat a lot too, huh? Anyway, where do you want to go princess?"

"Eh?! Why call me princess?"

"Well, I am your knight in shining armour today. Or so I wanted to act like one. So do pray tell where your highness pleases to go." Kiba said as he went down on his motorbike and knelt in front of Hinata, with both arms in support on his baby. Hinata giggled and looked around after.

"I've never been outside the university. May you tour me around the village, my knight in shining armour?"

"If it is what you please, your highness. It would be a great honour to tour you around the village." He said as he stood up and rode on his bike once more.

"You better hold on tight, princess. This would be a very, very dangerous adventure."

"As long as I am with you, I'll be safe." And it was true. She feels safe whenever she's with the brunette, ever since she met him in the hospital room. With him, she can be herself, her real self. Not the Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuuga Company. And with that, she held on tight on the brunette, and took off to an adventure she surely won't forget.

Time indeed flies by fast when you're having fun. Both of them have to go back to the hospital for Hinata's afternoon check-up.

"It was fun."

"Fun indeed. So, let's do it again next time."

"Mhm." Hinata replied with a nod.

"Well, I better go now. Neji texted me and told me he's on his way here."

"I see. Take care then."

"Yeah, you too." With that, Kiba left the hospital

Kiba was about to head back to head to the parking lot when he passed by a familiar blonde sitting in front of the library staircase fixing his bag. It seems like he was having a hard time inserting the three big books in. The brunette was having thoughts on whether to approach the blonde or not, when a pink head walked towards him. The two suddenly laughed as the pink head help him with the books. She waved goodbye after and left. The blonde, on the other hand, went the other direction heading to his apartment. Should the brunette approach him now? He was avoiding tons of people lately. One of them was the brunette. It was just his theory though, maybe the blonde was not really intending to avoid everyone, and maybe he's just busy. But in either way there's no way he could avoid the blonde now, for the said person is now waving at him, and apparently running towards the brunette.

"Hey Kiba, how's it going?" The blonde asked as he stopped in front of the brunette, panting like he ran from miles away. Kiba, on the other hand, was just staring at the blonde, so his thoughts must be wrong, maybe the blonde was just too busy to hang with them like he used to. Another month just ended and preliminary exams sure is coming, maybe his boy's finally growing up and acting like what a college student should act. How does a real college student act though?

"Hey there foxy. I was about to head home when I saw you approaching me." He casually said, in thought that everything between them is just as normal as before, but his thoughts again were wrong. The blonde remained his gaze on his shoes and unmoved, it almost seemed like he did not notice and hear the brunette's answer. Kiba then sighed and planned to bid goodbye when the blonde looked up to him.

"Yo, want to join me? I still have a class and it will start at six. I still have two hours." The blonde uttered seriously.

_Something is really, really wrong with this blondie, _Kiba thought. "Sure thing man, where do you want to stay?"

"I don't really know where-ttebayo. Want to eat?"

"Nah, I'm kind of full. Just had a food trip with… you know who."

"Oh." A short silence dawned between the two as they began walking. Then as they passed by the library, near the main building, Kiba remembered he girl the blonde was talking to.

"Oi, Naruto, the girl you were talking to a while ago, was that Sakura?" With the brunette's question, the blonde's face quickly turned into a shade of red.

"I bet it's a yes. So how's the study date? Doing well?"

And another silence dawned between them.

"What? A cat caught your tongue?"

"No-ttebayo, and why are you even asking such things?"

"There is nothing wrong with my question. I was just curious, I mean you've been hanging with her and doing your things for almost a month now. It's long enough for some electric current to you know, spark." The brunette uttered and finished it by giving a light bump on his blonde friend's shoulder.

"I wish it would spark, but how would it if all we talk about is that stupid biology project?"

"Are you jealous because she's paying more attention to the subject than you? Geez you're desperate." Kiba teased, causing the blonde to turn red once more.

"Shut the hell up, Kiba. And besides, I also need to focus on my studies, the exams are drawing near and I don't want to fail many of it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it right there. Did some unknown good entity subjugate your body? Man, are you really Naruto?" The brunette asked and shook him before his last question. Naruto on the other hand gently brushed of the Kiba's hands and began walking once more.

"Would you take me seriously-ttebayo?"

"All I'm saying man is you got to make your move soon. You know, talk to her, and flirt with her,—"

"What the—"

"You said she's down right? Like the heavens place a very heavy rock on top of her shoulders and is gradually crushing her to the bones."

"You do know I sometimes take things literally..."

"Oh for the love of kami, please help this poor man's soul." The brunette uttered with pure sarcasm as he raised his hands to the sky. "You know what I mean, talk to her, be her friend if you care so much for her."

"I don't want to be friend-zoned dude. Besides, my feelings towards her are still unsure. I don't want to make any moves that might destroy our current relationship."

Kiba then sighed and patted his friend's shoulder. "I know man, but you will never be friend-zoned if you two are meant for each other. And think about it, if you become her friend, you can clarify your feelings towards her, and after clarifying it, you can freely make your next move."

And for once, the brunette suggested something to the blonde that might turn out alright. Kiba then released another sigh and looked up.

"C'mon man, I'll help you. I'll be your wingman or some—"

"Oh my dear soul, someone save me please!" Naruto sarcastically said upon covering his ears, trying to block the brunette's words.

"C'mon foxy, you know I'm good with girls."

"I know-ttebayo. It's just… Ano… I…"

"You want to get her with your own manly skills, I get it." Kiba said with a smile.

"And like what I said before, I am still unsure with my feelings towards her. But you're right, I should befriend her first."

"You're doing the right choice man." Kiba agreed while constantly patting the blonde's shoulder.

"What the heck, I just had a de ja-maru! You got all this information from Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed upon facing the brunette with a finger pointed directly to Kiba's nose, causing the brunette to sneeze on it.

"Oi, Naruto, don't blame me. I only talked to Shikamaru because you weren't talking to me. It's been weeks since the last time we talked. I thought we're twins man, but ever since your twin sister came, I was shove away from the picture." The brunette explained while rubbing his handkerchief to his itching nose.

Naruto was rather shock with the brunette's revelation and felt bad for accusing him for being nosy, and not to mention forgetting the mucus on his index finger. "Hey, I was just shocked, I mean you could have just asked me personally. I'm not avoiding you. Our schedule is just—"

"We always see each other in English class and in P.E. plus we have the same building _the whole day_ every Friday." Kiba pointed out. Now Naruto's guilt is rising. He felt bad for ignoring the brunette, but it was not his fault. He always sees Kiba with Neji or Hinata, and sometimes with Sasuke – all the people he has to avoid. He wanted to tell everything to the brunette, but he doesn't want Kiba to get involve with all this shits going around in his life.

"Look, Kiba, I'm sorry. I just—"

"Heh, don't feel bad. I don't really mind it, I understand. Though I don't really know what's going on with you and Uchiha, but I'll try to understand."

And again, another silence dawned.

"Where did you—"

"Naruto, I'm not that ignorant, of course I can sense that you two are avoiding each other. And I don't want to get involve on your shits."

_Damn, he is my twin… And I think I might choose him over Naruko._ "Well, good choice." He replied and released a heavy sigh afterwards.

"So, you're declining my offer?"

"Nah, I might reconsider it."

"Good choice my man, good choice." And the blonde received another pat on the shoulder from the brunette.

"Yeah, I just hope she won't find someone else-ttebayo."

"Heh, like Sasuke?" Naruto then faced the brunette, but he was looking up at the skies.

"Something tells me you were thinking about some things related to my statement."

"Yep, I was. And I really don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" Naruto asked with a pout. He rarely sees Kiba with a serious expression, and he swore to the heavens above that it does not suit the brunette.

"I really have to go, Naruto. I'll see you around." And with that, the brunette passed through the main gate and head home and left the blonde all alone, watching him disappear from the shadows of the trees and street lights.

Kiba never thought he would remember those bitter-sweet memories once more. Memories he had forgotten long time ago. It was his first heart break, and to think that his own friend, Sasuke, was involved. How did he remember such thing again anyway? Right, they were talking about Sakura, then Sasuke, and then connected them together. So basically it was his fault, damn.

It was the right decision not to tell the blonde though. Naruto would just choose Sasuke's side and defend him like he's some kind of a thesis. And that relationship didn't even last for a month, well almost. Then after that, he never entered a serious relationship. It was mostly friends with benefits, like him treating the girls to dinner, short make-out sessions and stuffs like that. But all of those were his distractions, and his tactic to forget—

"Kiba?" Damn that voice, why does it have to be so familiar? The brunette then slowly looked up to see where the damned voice came from, and geez, who would have thought the person he was thinking about still exist in the world. And now all he could think of is how stupid he was to stop and look at the girl who broke his heart and left like she never came into his life. Really, this is not a pleasing way to end your day.

On the other hand, Naruto was just wandering around the park, hoping that the Ichiraku Ramen is still open when he caught a glimpse of a pink hair behind the tree. He was supposed to ignore it but as he passed by it, he heard a soft sob that he couldn't take it anymore. He only knew one girl with pink hair, and he swore that he had never seen anyone with such hair color. He even remembered him itching to ask her if she dyed it, but thought that it might not be a question she wants to hear, and will ever want to hear.

"Um, are you alright?" He asked gently. And yes, as he suspected, it was none other than Sakura.

"Oh, it's you." She replied, a bit faster than her reflex. "Was I causing trouble?"

"N…no… No, not at all, I was just passing by when I heard some soft sobs behind the tree and… and…" And yes, he was captivated again with her green eyes. It somewhat reminds him of his mother's dark teal eyes.

"I thought you're heading home. What happened-ttebayo?" He asked, and for the first time, he noticed how wonderful the park was during this time. With the Christmas lights on the tree's branches gradually lit, expressing a Christmas-like aura even though it's not yet December. The warm yellow light from the street lights and the shadows the bushes cast in the stone bricked flooring in burnt umber. It was overwhelming, and very contradicting to the crying girl beside him.

_ Be her friend…_

"Ne, Sakura... um... -chan, want to walk around?" The blonde offered cheerfully. Too cheerful that the only thing Sakura could do it to smile and gladly accept the blonde's offer.

Naruto enjoyed listening to the falling leaves around them, the sunset above the same levelled buildings. It was like a romantic walk in Paris, maybe except for him not being romantically involved towards Sakura, and there is no Eiffel Tower in sight.

"It's wonderful, isn't it? Makes you want to stop the time and enjoy the view." Naruto then glanced at the rosette who was looking around as well.

"Yeah, it is. And to think this was built during the nineties. Everything seems so modern and…"

"Earthly? "

"Yeah." Naruto concurred and smiled sheepishly to the rosette.

And of course, in every happy scene, there is always a certain person that kills all the joy in the atmosphere just by showing up.

And yes, the two acquaintances stumbled into a very familiar person.

"Sa… Sasuke?!" Naruto said in shock. The last person he wanted to see was the raven in his badass black jeans and navy blue shirt, topped off with his reversible gray and black jacket.

Sakura was shocked as well. She was not expecting to see him, though she wanted to, but not with Naruto. Sasuke might think that the two of them are dating. Of course she's still hoping that the two of them will get back together.

And Sasuke, even with his emotionless face, he cannot deny that he was bumped into these people. Upon numerous students inside the campus, he managed to reunite with the two people he least wanted to see. Now he wished he never had taken the shortcut to his class.

"Heh, I uh… never thought we'd bumped into you-ttebayo." Naruto managed to say cheerfully, but delivered it a bit awkward.

"Hn." Ah, yes, his trademark response whenever he's avoiding a conversation, especially long ones.

"Oh, and this is Haruno Sakura. Sakura, this is Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto really doesn't know anything. And of course Sakura does not have any choice but to offer her hand, hoping that the raven would play along. But she knows him; he would never do such thing.

And as she suspected, the raven refused to shake her hand. How stupid of her to do such a thing. She then now placed both her hands inside her pocket and looked, composing herself and hoping that her tears won't well up.

"So, shaking hands is not your style. So how about a high-five—"

"I have to go." Sasuke interrupted as he was about to pass by between the blonde and the rosette, when Naruto stopped him and lightly pushed him back to his previous place.

"What's gotten into you? Be more polite."

"I am. I must have been intruding your date with this lady—"

"Sasuke—"

"Naruto." Sakura hissed, hoping to calm the lightly growling blonde. Even though her inner self is craving to punch that raven's hair and pull his hair to bring back the stupid duck ass.

Of course, Naruto knows Sasuke's only doing his best to get out of this mess. They had, after all, a deal to avoid each other. A deal that he rejected but soon agreed on because of his twin's pleas, now he wondered if something happened between the raven and his twin sister.

"I apologize but I must go. The chicken in my stomach won't stop croo croo-ing." Sasuke deadpanned, and attempted to pass between the blonde and the rosette.

"Nice to meet you too, Haruno Sakura." He finished upon passing between his two _'new acquaintance'._ The rosette and the raven exchanged short glances which turned into a glare, and Sasuke then left the two as fast as he could.

Well, that was intensifying. Naruto was relieved that the raven was gone. What's with with him and Sakura, really? It was bothering him to no end. Especially his fuckingly hilarious line that he somewhat managed to utter in a very formal and serious way. And let's not forget that fucking straight face. How did he even do that? Naruto admitted that if Sasuke had not left as quickly as possible, he might have laughed out loudly. Seriously, a croo croo-ing chicken? What the fuck man?!

But the raven did not went off that quickly because he wanted to avoid the two… well it was one of his reasons, but there is… really a chicken, in his stomach, and he believes that he needed to go to who knows where to release who knows what or some stink bomb will eventually explode, in the park. It was the aftermath of him skipping breakfast and lunch, and with all the sobbing and attitude problems in the morning. Seriously, he needs a life.

And to think that everything will be back to normal after the raven left, Sakura is sobbing again. And to Naruto' surprise she was sitting on a bench few steps away from them, and he did not even notice she was gone beside him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto asked thoughtfully, but received no response from the rosette. "C'mon, you can tell me anything. Don't hesitate to tell—"

"My father died." That was some revelation.

"Your father... what?!"

"He died a while ago. I was not supposed to come and meet you for our discussion regarding our project. But I had an argument with him that all I wanted to do is to get out of the house as soon as possible. To top it all off, I've encountered that Uchiha bastard Sasuke. I regret my decision for coming here. If I didn't come here my father would be alive, and I won't have to meet him again." Sakura opened up, one thing she did not regret. She was happy to finally lessen the loads in her heart. And she was quite happy that the blonde is a better listener than her best friend, Ino.

"Geez, I really don't know what to say."

"You don't have to. Trust me, you listening to my whines is enough."

"Everything is just a test. Well yeah, that's certainly an old line. But every bad occasion comes with a package that will make you a better person. Shit like that will always happen, but after that certain event, you'd be thankful that it did happen, because it's a sign that there is always a next time to make things a little less worse than before, or maybe better than the worst. We are still young, and maybe it was your father's time."

Sakura was speechless. She never thought that Naruto is capable of saying such deep things. It was profound that it reached Sakura's heart, and made her realize something, something she should have seen before.

"Kai!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed upon placing her hands with her index and middle finger up close to her mouth, with her index finger almost touching it.

"Wha—?!" Naruto asked with one brow raised and head titled sideways. Sakura then laughed at his expression, making the blonde more curious.

"I got it from this certain show about ninjas with unearthly powers. And for some reasons, you remind me of the protagonist."

"Oh." _I can safely say I've never heard that show before… _Naruto thought and decided to smile instead, at least he cheered the woman up.

"I guess you're right." Sakura uttered once more as she gazed down with a visible smile marked on her face.

"Yosh! Now you cheer up okay? I'm sure your father doesn't want to see you cry."

"Yeah, he doesn't, because it also makes him cry. A very emotional person indeed." She replied and caused the two of them to laugh. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Heh, it's nothing-ttebayo! Anything for you my friend." Naruto replied while scratching the back of his neck.

Sakura then placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and uttered with a smile, "There is one thing though that I will never regret in life."

Damn, why is his heart beating fast? "What is it-ttebayo?" he uttered, almost stuttering.

Sakura then smiled widely upon the blonde's quirky reaction, "Having a friend like you."

Yeah, he likes that. Maybe Shikamaru and Kiba's right, maybe he should be Sakura's friend first. Naruto then smile sheepishly until he caught glimpse of Sakura's watch.

"Damn, it's six already? I'm late again, dattebayo!" He cried upon grabbing his backpack and stood up. "I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan but I have to go now." He said as he waved goodbye and ran as fast as he can. Few steps after he glanced back at Sakura to tell her to take care, and ran again, causing the rosette to smile once more at the blonde's quirkiness.

_He sure is kind. Though I wonder, what is his relationship with Sasuke?_ She thought as she watched the blonde disappear from one of the building's door. "I wonder what he could do... as a friend."

Naruto was few steps away from his math class. Why does he care anyway? Their professor is always late! Maybe he got used to his other professors who are always paying attention to attendance. He was about to enter when some unknown person pushed him to the lockers.

"What is your relationship with her?"

"Sa... Sasu-"

"Answer me!" The raven demanded.

"You do know my next professor is Hatake Kakashi-"

"I don't fucking care! Just tell me your relationship with Haruno Sakura." the raven growled, pushing the blonde once more to the lockers.

Naruto doesn't know how to react. He had never seen Sasuke this angry... about what?

"What the hell's wrong with you? Why the hell do you fucking care?" Naruto retorted as he pushed the raven away.

"Stay away from her." the raven uttered, startling the blonde and making him angrier.

"You... you kept on saying things to me like avoid this, avoid that. I am avoiding almost everyone, dattebayo! Why are you fucking doing this—"

"Because you're my friend." The raven cried. Now that's new. "You are the only one I've got, and the closest I'll ever get. That's why you have to avoid her if you don't want your friendship to break!"

"Naruto." And there comes Kakashi, interrupting the friendship scene between the raven and the blonde.

Sasuke looked down and walked away seconds after the short silence. How long have Kakashi stood there? Did he hear everything? He has to talk to Naruto again. Naruto must not know his previous relationship with Sakura, if his thoughts about Naruto liking Sakura are correct. He doesn't want to break his friendship with the blonde. But isn't he ruining their friendship now by just avoiding each other?

_**-**__**End of Part 6**__**-**_

_A person will certainly do anything to help a friend... even though it might cause them pain... Though what is the real definition of pain?  
_

* * *

**Author's Note: **We are few chapters away from the climax, woot woot! So let me know guys what you think about this fic so far. And yeah, you may ask questions regarding the story and I'll be happy to answer it (by messaging privately, hehe.). Thank you so much guys for reading :) Take care ya'll!_  
_


	7. Wrath of the Blondes

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 7**

**-Wrath of the Blondes-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**Disclaimer part 2: **I do not own the anime/manga Kimi ni todoke and its characters, the song Rolling in the Deep by Adele, and the song Distance by Long Shot Party. All of them were mentioned in the story to fill up some gaps, and to add a bit more humor to the story ;)

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

There is nothing more relaxing than drinking a glass of wine while watching the pilot episode of the Icha Icha series.

"Damn, this is going great. Plus their tastes for female actors are better than I expect it to be." Well, for Jiraiya it is. Naruko cannot seem to comprehend why they have to celebrate such happening. It is, after all, another sappy late night drama, with explicit scenes that are not for children's viewing. Though deep down inside, she's kind of proud of her godfather, she clearly wasn't expecting his book to be a success. Looks like a lot of people enjoy watching drama series. Particularly sappy ones.

"I wonder what's taking Kakashi and Naruto so long. They'll miss the pilot episode. He did say his class will end at nine." The white haired man said, obviously talking to himself. Naruko then released a sigh. But her Jiraiya-jiji was right, they should be here by now, it's past nine already. And speak or think of the devil and the devil will eventually come; with a company. Another sigh was released, louder this time, upon hearing battling voices outside the door. And to her surprise, with sarcasm that never fails to be present, those voices belong to none other than Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi.

_"I told you not to talk to Sasuke!"_

"_How many times do I have to tell you, he was the one who approached me-ttebayo?"_

"_Still, you have the full will to ignore him and enter the room."_

"_The bastard pushed me to the mother fucking locker! How am I supposed to get away with it and enter the room? It still hurts you know."_

"_But you managed to push him afterwards. Should have done that earlier."_

"_We didn't even talk about anything! And it would probably be our last conversation."_

"_Good. It better be."_

"_Heh, it will be __**Kakashi-sensei.**__"_

"_Watch your tone."_

"_What did I do this time?!"_

"_Just open the door."_

"_Why don't you do the honours in opening the door if you want it to open so badly?"_

"_You left your keys again, didn't you?"_

"_I did not!"_

"_Then open it."_

"_**You**__ open it."_

"_So you did __**leave **__it."_

"_I fucking did not!"_

And suddenly, Naruko heard several banging sounds outside. "Damn, this is bad!" Naruko said jumpily as she stood up and faced the door.

"No, it is not." Jiraiya said coolly with eyes still locked on the television.

"What?" Naruko exclaimed, still staring at the door and hoping that Kakashi won't kill her brother. "I really do think something bad is happening there."

"Naruko, chill. Everything is a-okay." Jiraiya said casually, earning him a sigh from the female blonde.

"Jira-jiji, can't you hear them? He's killing him!" She said a bit panicky for she doesn't know who is beating who.

"I think you meant _'she'_." Jiraiya said casually once more. And this time, Naruko faced her godfather and followed his gaze, only to find out that he was dreamily watching the first hot and steaming make-out scene in the story.

Naruko then sighed and rubbed her temples, she should have seen it coming. "This will not end, won't it?" Naruko asked Jiraiya, who seemed to be drawn to the drama he's watching.

"What, it just started, it'll end soon." replied the white-haired man. He was completely talking about the drama, as Naruko expected. Another sigh found its way out on the female blonde's lips as she stood up to open the door.

And just as when she did a nice thing by opening the door for the cat and dog outside the room, she was rewarded by receiving a painful kiss on the nose from the edge of the door.

"See, I told you I brought the right key." Naruto smugly replied to his uncle and entered with eyes still glaring at the gray-haired man, not even noticing that he stepped on his dear sister's foot.

Kakashi soon followed and noticed the female blonde who seems to be hopping on her left foot while holding her right foot and her nose.

"Naruko, I appreciate your welcome dance. You may stop anytime now." Kakashi uttered nicely while removing his shoes and placed them to the rack.

Naruto heard his uncle and immediately turned to his sister. "Heh, Naruko, I didn't know you could dance."

"You…" she growled upon implanting a glare towards the male blonde. "You…"

"Naruko, your mouth…" Jiraiya warned her upon sensing the following words that Naruko will throw towards her brother. He may be the world's greatest pervert, but he always encouraged politeness, especially when it came to usage of words, though if he was in Naruko's place, he would have thrown bullets of profanities towards the male blonde.

"You piece of fecal matter, son of a female dog hound, mother fu—ther... argh!" Naruko cried after finally managing to stand on both feet, stomping it really hard on the floor with one hand still gently covering on what seems to be her bleeding nose, and the other crumpled on her side and ready to land on the male blonde's face.

"Huh, what was that?" The artist raven uttered upon climbing the stairs. He was definitely sure it came from his blonde friend's floor. But according to the books he read last week, it is best not to get involve yourself in situations you don't know, especially ones that involve females.

"Na… Nandattebayo?! I didn't do anything wrong to you."

"Argh!" She cried once more as she headed to the kitchen, completely ignoring the blonde male whom she intently bumped on her way there.

"Yosh! You two were late. You both missed the pilot episode of my masterpiece. But anyway, there's a replay tomorrow morning, you two better not miss it." Jiraiya said with elation upon rising from the sofa and followed the pissed-off blonde female in the kitchen before she starts breaking things.

"And the lead actress they've chosen is perfect." Jiraiya whispered to the gray haired man as he passed by him, pertaining to the gifted front and back for the lovely actress, lightening up the mood in the room.

"Ne, ne, how big was it—OW!" Naruto excitedly asked, but received a smack on the head from his twin. "What was that for-ttebayo?" He asked with a pout while rubbing the spot where a big bump grew on his head. "Why is everyone scolding me like I've done something against the heaven's will?"

"Actually you did, now get you stinky butt in here and eat quietly you prick." Naruko replied resentfully as she sat down on her seat.

"Is that all I ever am?" He snapped, but the female blonde remained composed and smugly replied.

"And all will ever be."

The two older men exchange glances and decided not to intervene with the twins' squabble and join them in the table.

Good thing for Naruto, Jiraiya took the sit in front of him before Kakashi, leaving the gray-haired man to take the seat in front of the female blonde.

This day was supposed to be one of Naruto's greatest days in life, the fact that he managed to have a new friend, and was finally able to talk to his brunette friend, though their conversation did not end quite well. Kiba's words and how he pertained to Sasuke intrigued the blonde male. Did something happen to them in the past? Something that he missed when he was gone for almost three years to search for his long lost twin who, on the other hand, found him instead months after he came back.

Then there goes Sasuke telling him to avoid Sakura when he's supposed to be avoiding the male blonde himself. Everything started in that scene. And the raven's exchange of glare with the rosette, were they hiding something from him? But in either way, he's still out of the league to ask Sakura about it, though he could ask Sasuke, but a perimeter has now set between them, literally set between them. Special thanks to his Kakashi-sensei.

And oh, what really pissed him off was his female classmates who always talked so girlish towards Kakashi. And Kakashi always entertained those girls first before him, even though he asked for help first. It annoyed him to no end that he wanted to hit his head on the desk.

"Hey, you seem so serious today. Did something happen?" Jiraiya finally managed to ask, and broke the deafening silence that surrounded the dining area.

Naruto remained silent. He didn't even manage to touch the food, which offended the female blonde who cooked the dish.

"Uh, hey... We should all thank Naruko here for cooking the meal. She rarely cooks, but her meals are always great; special thanks to the cooking class she took." Jiraiya said once more, hoping to hear one of his company talks. But soon gave up after analysing the situation. Clearly, everyone seemed to be pissed off at each other. Good thing though, none of them seemed to be mad at him. One strong blonde is enough. Having two more blondes mad at him would be heavy to weigh in. Especially all the blonde people he knows have temper.

"I'm going to eat in my room." Naruto deadpanned as he stood up and headed to his room, but paused as he passed by Kakashi. And as Kakashi was about to put a mouthful of noodles into his mouth, Naruto faced him.

"I hope you won't get choked, _**K-K-Kakashi-sensei**_." He managed to utter, imitating one of his female classmates with matching preppy curtsy, and girly expression on his face such as battering eyelashes, bashful smile, and tucking of hair behind his ear. Promptly causing Naruko to spray the chewed noodles on her mouth, not intending the particles to land on Kakashi's fully opened mouth. Soup with mixture of saliva dripped down on the side of Naruko's slightly opened mouth as she stared in shock at her brother with eyes as wide as the bowl in the middle on the dining table.

Kakashi on the other hand, remained his gaze on the chopsticks that are nearly approaching his mouth, as he gently pushed the slimy chewed noodles with his tongue, not even noticing that the particles are falling in his bowl. Good thing though, Naruto decided to do such thing beside Kakashi, for he will not be able to dodge Jiraiya's spray of wine.

What made the scene even viler is that Naruto didn't even notice everyone's reaction, too bad; it might lighten his temper a little, or maybe more. But instead, after his little act, he immediately head to his room and made sure he slammed the door.

Yeah he certainly made sure for he opened it up for the third time because he wasn't able to slam it at first because he had to go back to the dining room to grab the extra bowl and fill it once more with ramen, since his bowl was filled with wine, in which he doesn't know how on earth it happened. And he failed to slam the second one because he was holding the bowl with two hands.

"Damn, my brother's gone gay." Naruko uttered upon wiping her mouth with her hand. "I think I'm going to barf," she added after replaying the scene in her head.

Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi who is still pushing some remaining particles off his mouth with his tongue. "Are you alright, Kakashi?" He asked, but received no reply from the gray-haired man.

"Naruto giving me a thousand years of pain is better than doing _that._" Kakashi replied, still staring at the chopsticks he was holding in the mid-air.

"Heh, you're thinking the same thing as Naruko?"

"No. Not at all Jiraiya-sama; I actually preferred being poked from my behind than swallow something that came from someone else's mouth."

_So that's what he meant by the thousand years of pain, _Jiraiya thought while patting the poor man's shoulder. "I feel you. Yosh, we should start cleaning up, I guess everyone's busy." Said Jiraiya as he stood up from his seat and headed to the living room to sleep.

"I need a word from my brother," Naruko said upon passing by Kakashi, who remained seated in the dining area.

"I was having a wonderful meal," Kakashi said, eyes still locked on the chopsticks.

* * *

"Heh, didn't know you're gay." Naruko mocked as she entered the room. "You must be desperate." She added upon pulling the chair from the desk and sat half facing the male blond.

"To think I was about to compliment your cooking, there you are, mocking me." Naruto responded while sipping the soup. "And to my surprise, your seafood ramen is better than Ichiraku's." He pointed out, but received no reply from the female blonde. "Though you should try their pork and miso ramen; it is to die for," he suggested.

"I would definitely **not** try that Ichiraku of yours. Knowing your taste, it's below my standards." Naruko confidently replied. The two of them have lived separate lives for a long time, and within those times a lot of things had changed between them; a lot but not all. And Naruto's temper was one of them. It would be fun to play with your brother for a while after a long boring day.

"It's like you are saying that your cooking sucks." Naruto pointed out with a teasing smirk. This is not what Naruko wants; she has to twist the situation back.

"No actually, just your taste. The fact that you failed to notice that the food you are eating is instant ramen and not homemade," she deadpanned, followed by a smirk. Her brother's temper should be boiling by now.

"Oh really?!" Or maybe not, maybe he did change for good. "I didn't know. Where did you get this? I never encountered a seafood flavoured ramen on nearby stores." Naruto replied rather cheerfully.

"I bought it before we arrived here in the city. Then I mixed it with the instant pork ramen you have." Naruko replied while scanning the books on the desk. "It is, after all, my favourite."

"No wonder it tasted like pork, with seafood bits," Naruto responded while inspecting the bowl he was holding; and sipped the remaining soup afterwards. "Who would have thought we have something in common." Naruto uttered while putting the bowl down on the floor.

"Yeah…" She concurred. But Naruto can sense that there's an incoming _but_ in her sentence. "But,"—as Naruto expected—"You still have bad taste when it comes to... everything." Well, that was beyond his expectations.

"You little brat." Naruto retorted as he glared at the female blonde, hoping that flames would soon appear around her and burn her skin.

"Naruto, _**you're **_angry with me, aren't you?" Naruko then glared back at her brother with the same level of intensity, with a matching smirk that could irritate anyone.

"Teme…" Naruto growled and was about to attack the female blonde. One little problem though, he forgot about the bowl he placed on the floor. He accidentally, or absentmindedly, according to Naruko's point of view, stepped on the bowl, slipped forward and landed on the floor with a thud. Face first, to his bad luck.

"Wow, guess my job here is done. Thank you for making my day, my dear brother." Naruko said as she laughed as hard as she could, with legs crossed and swinging her dangled foot with full intention to poke her brother's head.

"_You… you little prick!"_

"_Hey, that's my line!" _Naruko released another teasing laugh, making the male blond growl.

"Geez, are they really like that when I'm gone?" Jiraiya asked while staring at the blondes' door. It was his first time to actually not go out late at night to talk to Tsunade, and hear the two arguing, or fighting, or teasing, or whatever they call it, it's somewhat new to him.

"Trust me, Jiraiya-sama, I've heard and actually seen worst." Kakashi uttered upon joining the white haired man in the living room. "Though they can be really sweet to each other sometime..." He followed. "Actually it happened only once." Kakashi took it back seconds after his previous sentence awed the white haired man.

"Well at least they are getting along, in a very different way. But I'm glad that they are both doing fine." Jiraiya replied as he allowed a small smile grew on his face.

"All things apart, any news from the other side?" Kakashi asked. He found it odd that Jiraiya stayed in for the night. And it also made him want to know what was happening around them; especially Naruto cannot seem to avoid the Uchiha easily.

"Did Naruto say anything to you?" Jiraiya asked. "Like him meeting someone very suspicious lately?"

"I believe none," Kakashi replied while rubbing his chin. "You see, Naruto is not really the type who shares such things to me, despite of our close relationship." The gray haired man finished.

"Same goes with me and Naruko." Jiraiya said and sighed as he leaned his back on the backrest. "We have to keep an eye on the two of them." His tone was far more serious than before. Kakashi then looked at the white haired man; his eyes were stern and serious.

"I see. They're on their move."

"Yes. It only means one thing…"

"It means—"

"It means that Kurumi would break Kazehaya and Sawako's relationship soon."

"Eh?!" Was the only thing Kakashi managed to utter, as he felt himself wobble. "You… you were..."

"Oh… heh, sorry about that. Naruko really loves this show and she used to ask me to watch it with her for inspiration," The white haired man continued, eyes still locked on the television screen. "I think the title was Kimi ni… Kimono ni…" Jiraiya uttered upon facing the gray haired man with sheepish smile. "Ah! Kimi ni Sawako!"

_Geez, do you have ADHD? You are no different from Naruto, _Kakashi thought upon releasing a sigh. "I'll head to my room. I still have some work to do." With that, Kakashi stood up and head to his room.

"But I was serious. We have to keep an eye on the two." Jiraiya said, just before Kakashi closed his door.

"Man, he's no different from Naruko. No wonder they get along pretty well." Jiraiya said to himself while grabbing the remote and tuning the channel to the news. "Eleven o' clock, just as Tsunade told me to," he said to himself once more as he adjusted the volume down and watched quietly. He wanted to keep all the things he learned to himself and to Tsunade for a while. A tiny leakage can be risky, not that he mistrusts Kakashi, but keeping it to only the two of them is somewhat safer.

* * *

Another weekend came and it only meant one thing: more costumers, much to Tenten's dismay. Luckily, Ino finally convinced her friend Chouji to help Tenten in the kitchen; he will be after all, a future chef.

Chouji arrived few hours early for his cooking session with Tenten. The brunette explained him the dishes they have to make during breakfast, lunch, and afternoon meals, which Ino called happy hours, for the costumers can have free smoothies if they ordered two meals. It didn't last for long, as Ino expected. And soon she headed to the door and flipped the hanging card from close to open.

"Ino, are you sure we're ready?" Tenten asked from the serving window. "I mean, we don't have any waiters yet. And Sakura cannot come, remember?"

_Right. Speaking of waiters, where is that lazy-ass Nara? _Ino thought to herself as she stepped outside to feel the morning summer air. _It's almost summer break, I'm sure we'll have tons of costumers, especially during happy hours, _the blonde said to herself as she immediately ran off to who knew where.

"I… Ino!" Tenten cried upon seeing the blonde took off. "Chouji, do something please." She said upon facing the fat-boned guy. "Rather than staring at the cookbook I made while eating the breads that _**I made **_for the costumers later!" She cried. This is helpless, she thought. And the only thing that she could think of is to flip the hanging card before someone comes in.

Ino was running as fast as she can. She doesn't really know why. Ah, yes. She was in-search for her brunet friend. According to Chouji, Shikamaru left his house minutes ago, and aside from his house, and the park near it, the other place he goes to is the University Park.

"He doesn't have Saturday class, he should be there." _After all, he cannot ditch me for the third time, or I'll really kill that moron, _she silently fumed.

And her suspicion was right, he was there. And what is he doing—she doesn't want to know any further. _Who… who is this blonde girl? _She asked herself as she hid behind the tree. Then upon remembering that it was the same tree where she hid before, she also remembered that it was almost the same place where she saw Sasuke kissing a blonde girl. Only this time, Shikamaru and his blondie was lying on the grass. What's with Ino and the tree and the kissing scenes anyway?

Pissed off, Ino decided to leave the brunet and the blonde alone. _Busy, eh. Looks like that girl of yours will not like what I'm planning to do to you later, you lazy-ass bullshit, _Ino thought to herself, not knowing that she was walking out from the lovers a bit noisily.

"What was that?" the brunet murmured while his lips still intact on the blonde's.

"Shit!" She immediately reacted and gently pushed the brunet.

_Mendokuse… _the brunet thought as he saw a glimpse of blonde head girl in café uniform.

"What's with the face?" the blonde asked as her gaze went back to her beloved brunet.

"Look, I should be going before my life ends this afternoon." He replied as he stood up from the ground and grabbed his bag.

"Wait a sec," Temari called just before the brunet leave. Shikamaru looked down at the blonde, he cannot see her expression, but he can sense that her eyes already gave up the tears that she was holding seconds ago. He doesn't know why the female in front of him was crying, the fact that he was the one who should be down. Not saying that he's not sad though, he just preferred to keep it to himself.

"So this is it, huh?" She uttered in a shaky voice. Shikamaru then knelt down to wipe the tears from her face but she immediately turned her face to the side.

"Look, you were the one who broke up with me. How come you're the one who's crying?" Shikamaru asked, and looked like he made things even worse.

"Just leave, alright? I should be going too." Temari said as she stood up and ran away from the brunet as fast as she could.

And as the brunet watched the blonde from afar, his heart began aching, so everything was real. And to think that everything would be back to normal like it used to be. Maybe they are not really for each other. They rarely had time for each other lately; but it's not like Temari to give up easily. What is happening to her? He wanted to go after her, to talk to her, to fix everything between her. But he had ditched Ino for so many times now. Not just her favour to help her in the café, but also her text messages whenever she needed help. He'd been a bad boyfriend, and not to mention a bad best friend. He cannot even call himself a best friend. All he could hope for now is for Temari to explain why she broke up with him, because for now, he has to go to the café before his day really ends today.

* * *

"One latte please; and a pancake."

"Coming right up!" Tenten replied with a big grin, _Damn, and just when I was about to flip that stupid card, this blondie costumer appears. Where the hell is Ino? _The brunette thought as she punched in the female blonde's order. She does have to admit, her costumer is one hell of a mama. She's bombacious, a very pretty young lady indeed. And she reminded her of someone. She just can't seem to put all the pieces together.

As Chouji received the order from the screen, he immediately turned on the stove and prepared the pancake.

"Here's your change." Tenten said happily upon giving the blondie's change, but the costumer seemed to be busy texting someone. "Uhm, excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The blondie replied with a smile. "My brother just texted me, he said he'll be here in few minutes and asked me to take his order." _That moron, _she thought as she glanced up at the menu. _Yup, I'll still have change._ "Just keep the change for a while."

"Alright ma'am, what would be your brother's order?"

"A coffee jelly and two-piece pancakes."

"Alright, Chouji here's the follow up." Tenten uttered, completely talking to herself. "And lookie, you still have some change." She said happily as she reached the money to the blondie. "I'll just serve you your order. By the way, what is your name?"

"Oh, right, Naruko's the name." the costumer replied sheepishly.

_Good thing the perverted white haired man is not here. Or else this chick will be in trouble,_ the brunette thought "Alright, Naruko-san, your order will be served in a few." The brunette cheerily replied before heading to the counter to prepare the drinks.

Naruko chose to sit on the chair near the glass divider where she could overlook the flowers and the view outside. She loves flowers, it amazed her how they live and die as seasons change. Though receiving bouquets of flowers is the least thing she wanted to receive; maybe she'll consider it if it has roots. But what really amazed her were the insects that are attracted to it: the butterflies, the bees, the grasshoppers, even some birds. It awed her to no end, and made her want to look at it some more.

And as Naruko enjoyed her view, Ino came rushing in with an atmosphere that says _'do something against my will and I'll kill you'_.

"Ah, Ino, you're here!" the brunette happily said as she allowed the blonde to enter the counter.

"As you can see." Ino bitterly replied upon scanning the area for changes, and noticed the pending order on the screen. "Hey, is this order done?" She asked sternly as she peeked from the serving window.

"Not yet, Chouji here is still making the pancakes." Tenten cried out from the kitchen while looking for a mug.

"What? But it's been twenty minutes since this order was punched." Ino exclaimed angrily as she placed the ready-made pastries to the oven.

"Well you see, Ino, you forgot to inform us where the hell you placed the ingredients." Tenten uttered, irritation was hinted in her voice. _Seriously, this blonde needs to cool down. Her temper is getting into my nerves, _the brunette thought as she made the costumer's drinks.

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Ino scoffed as she readied the other pastries.

"Excuse me." Another costumer arrived. And to Ino's surprise, she's the blonde she saw earlier.

"Oh, you…" Ino said sardonically, hoping that the female blonde in front of her would take-out her order.

"What's with the tone? No—anyway, I would like to order a coffee, and a club sandwich." The blonde girl with four ponies said while rummaging her bag.

"Is that all, _ma'am_?" Ino mocked once more.

"Yep." The costumer replied, still looking for her wallet in her bag.

"Maybe you have additional order, for you know… someone." Ino said, trying to get the girl to admit that she is with someone.

"Nope, I'm afraid I'm alone." The costumer replied flatly as she found some bills and coins scattered inside. "And I don't know why you're using that kind of tone towards me." She added upon giving her exact payment. "But maybe you haven't been laid yet." The costumer finished with a smirk on her face.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Uh oh… and angry Ino is a scary Ino, and Tenten knew she has to calm down the blondie soon before a ruckus starts at this kind of hour.

"Uh, Ino… mind if you deliver the other costumer's drinks for a while? I uh… need to make a phone call." The brunette nicely said while reaching the tray to the blonde. But instead of taking it, Ino smashed it with her hands, causing it to fall on the floor and breaking the mug and the glass.

"Hey…" Tenten was about to complain, but the atmosphere between the two blondes was intense enough for her to join.

Naruko as well heard the commotion in the counter. She wanted to check if everything was alright, but preferred to stay and listen for a while. Maybe through listening, she might know what's going on and formulate a plan on how to stop it.

"You bitch. So not only you're a smutty blonde girl, but your mouth is also filled with nastiness. Damn, you must be living a lonely life." Ino retorted to her costumer. She knew she must not argue with the blonde in front of her. The costumers are after all, always right… well they supposed to be, even though they're wrong. But Ino doesn't freaking care for now, the costumer just insulted her and she will _not_ get away with this. Never.

"Yep, you've never been laid." The blonde costumer replied rather coolly as she released a smirk, a taunting one indeed.

"Why you bitch…" Ino growled as she jumped over the counter and pounced at her prey. Special thanks to her father who used to be a track and field representative, she somewhat learned several tricks and managed to land on the other blonde successfully.

And the crowd goes wild… if flowers and dining sets can be considered as crowd. On the blue corner, we have a girl with four ponies in sand-yellow hair color, weighing 47.9kg with a height of 165cm, the costumer! And in the red corner, we have a girl with long hair in pony in pearlescent white color, weighing 46kg, with a height of 162.2cm, Yamanaka Ino!

The fight has already begun my folks, as Ino threw a punch at the costumer, but oh she dodged it perfectly! What a wonderful summersault, though not so wonderful for the chair that was knocked off. But the pearlescent is still determined to land that hit on the sand's face. And she's standing now, glaring intensely at the sand like she's waiting for her to burn. Oh, the sand's doing the same. It's a tough and hot fight between the two blondes. Oh, the sand it taunting the pearlescent:

"Think you're better than me?"

"Oh, _you_ bet _I_ am." The pearlescent replied confidently as she rushed towards the sand. Oh, and did her hit land? NO! Damn that was close, but the two were rather lying on the floor, tugging at something—er no… The two were rolling on the floor. And out of nowhere, one of Adele's songs played as the punches moved along the beat.

_We could have had it all~ Rolling in the deep~ _

A slap landed on the pearlescent's cheeks. Ouch, that left a mark on her, and damn did it make her more furious. She then pushed the sand on top of her, causing them to roll on the floor again.

_You have my heart and soul~ In your head~ _

Ah, what a wonderful comeback from pearlescent, she finally managed to land that punch to the sand's face. But the fight is just getting started. The two blondes are heated up and it's impossible to stop them.

_But you played it, With—_

_**[Record scratch]**_

"What's going on in here?" The brunet asked upon entering the used-to-be-neat-and-orderly café. The two blondes stood up and fixed their selves upon seeing the man who entered.

"Shikamaru, what brings you here?" the sand asked. "And why are you holding my uhm… wallet?"

Shikamaru? Now that's a name Naruko heard before. She then released her gaze from the flowers for the first time since the mighty brawl started and peered over to see none other than the brunet she encountered last time at the barbeque restaurant, which name she cannot remember.

"You left it in the park. I was about to chase after you when I remembered I have to be here do to Ino a favour." Was his lame excuse; it's somewhat the truth though, except for him finding the wallet. But it seemed like the sand forgot about the brunet teasing her about stealing all her money before their very weird break up.

"Yeah, what a pathetic excuse." The sand scoffed. "Give me that." She said a bit pissed off as she snatched her wallet from the brunet's hand.

"T… Temari!" he managed to utter from his startled state.

"So Temari's the name eh?" Ino repeated with a sinister grimace on her face; and in an instant. The fight resumed, with a real audience this time.

" You are my friend, ahh~ a—OW!" The blond with golden hair cried, upon rubbing the surface where the foot of the chair kissed his skull. "What is going on in here-ttebayo—OW!" And another one, he could feel a lump this time as he covered his dear head with both hands. "What the hell?!"

With the sound of a familiar tenor voice of the golden blond, the sunflower blonde female immediately rise from her seat and attempted to approach her dear brother when—

"Ow!" she cried, causing everyone to stop. Well, who wouldn't? Her cry sounded like Squidward in female voice. And as the crowd faced her, everyone noticed the bleeding nose of the girl. No wonder her voice sounded like it came from her nasal.

"Wait, you're the slutty bitch from the park!" the pearlescent cried upon accusing the hurt sunflower.

"You like calling blondies bitches huh. Quite ironic, you're a blonde yourself. Suits you though." The sand said bluntly upon landing her closed fist on her face, causing the pearlescent to fall on the ground.

"No one has the rights to call my sister a slut. And stop fighting will you?!" The goldie said as he forcefully stopped the two blondes who were rolling again on the floor and helped the two stood up like a real gentleman.

"Aren't you Naruto?" the sand asked. "You used to be Gaara's friend, right?"

"Yep-ttebayo!" The goldie replied with a thumbs up. "You're Sabaku Tembori, right?" he asked curiously, hoping he got the name right. Unfortunately, he did not, causing him to receive another smack on the head, with a wallet this time.

"It's Temari, you baka!" the sand growled.

"Hey, no one calls my brother such name-ttebane!" the sunflower cried upon slapping the sand.

And like a pole hit her head, Ino finally remembered why the blonde seemed so familiar to her.

"B...baka!" the pearlescent cried upon pointing a finger towards the goldie. "You're the dorky, ugly guy before that always hangs with Shikamaru and Chouji!"

"Like what I said, no one calls my brother baka!" another slap was sent away by the sunflower, to the pearlescent this time.

"Why you bitch—" the pearlescent was about to hit the sunflower when a big boned guy stepped in between them.

"Stop this would you?" he said upon giving mild glare to each blonde. "We all have temper, but it's not right to throw it away like that and offend others." He stated, still mildly glaring at the blonds. "It's a wonderful morning and there you all are, ruining it and acting like children to top it all off. Aren't you all ashamed that passers-by will see you all fighting each other with no class at all?" The big boned guy was making sense. And he did calm all the blondes. "And you, Tenten, instead of stopping them you deepened your voice and imitated the ring announcer. You even imitated Adele's voice and sang her song." Tenten is now guilty, but she could not help it. They did say that if you cannot beat them, might as well join them.

"And Shikamaru, I know you're not that skilled when it comes to females, but..."

"Chouji..."

"—you could have stopped them. I mean..."

"Chou—"

"—you did stop them for seconds when you entered."

"Chouji stop that speech of yours before the cafe burns!" Ino yelled upon noticing the smoke coming from the kitchen. And off Chouji went, clumsily running towards the kitchen to turn off the range and save the kitchen, not to mention the half-burnt pancake.

Fifteen minutes later after the clash of the blondes, everyone grabbed their seat and waited patiently for their order.

"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I should have talked to _Shikamaru _first before blaming you for being ditched by this lazy Nara." Ino apologized to the sand seated opposite to her, and giving the brunet a short glare upon mentioning his name.

Temari giggled upon hearing the word 'lazy Nara'. She never thought those words fitted perfectly on her ex. "It's okay. If I were you I would have done the same thing."

_Mendokuse… _the brunet thought as he released a quiet sigh. He never thought that his best friend and ex-girlfriend would get along well after having a death match earlier. But he was quite happy though. He should have introduced her to them earlier. He might have avoided the scene earlier if the two blondes know each other.

Naruto, on the other hand thought the same thing too as he watched his sister giggled with the two other blondes. They were apologizing to one another and actually making jokes about it.

Tenten soon went out of the kitchen and served their food, followed by Chouji with another tray filled with food for him and Tenten, and joined everyone for their breakfast.

Everyone was happy. They even complimented Tenten's _male announcer voice_ and Chouji's wonderful speech that halted the fight. Shikamaru finally explained the reasons for ditching the pearlescent and the latter accepted his apologies since all of them were rather exceptional. Naruto then explained Naruko's sudden existence and their relationship as twins. To conclude, everyone was happy, and everyone became closer to each other. Though Shikamaru is still bothered about his break-up with Temari, but he was glad enough that she still talks to him. Maybe it is not that bad to be friends with her for a while.

What a way to start the day, but at least there are more workers now in the café. And they all made new friends. It wasn't so bad after all.

"Hey Ino, thank you for the afternoon meal." Temari said as she patted the pearlescent's shoulder. "I have to go though."

"Alright. Take care." Ino replied with a smile.

Shikamaru was about to follow her by habit when he remembered that they just broke up this morning. He then sat once more and watched the butterflies fly around the flowers.

"Why are you still here?" Ino asked, a bit shocked that the brunet didn't even bother to bid farewell to the sand.

"Why do I have a feeling the two of you broke up?" Naruko asked thoughtfully, causing all eyes to turn and gaze upon the brunet.

"Well… I..."

"What the hell Shikamaru?! You're a man, act like one!" Ino said as she rose from her sit and dragged the brunette towards the door. "She's still there. Go chase her! Fix your problem." The pearlescent then gave him an assuring smile as she pushed him outside. He then walked towards Temari's direction. And to his surprise, she was somewhat waiting for him.

"I thought you'd never come after me." She said shyly while looking down at the ground.

The brunet then approached her and gently held her hand. "I don't know why you broke up with me." He said while absentmindedly playing her fingers. "But just so you know, I'll never stop loving you." He finished with an eye contact, making the sand's face turn into a shade of red.

Temari then closed the distance between him and gave him a peck on the lips. Shikamaru's eyes widened. True, they did kiss this morning because it's been a week since they last seen each other, but he never thought he'd miss her kiss this much.

The crowd inside the café cheered as they watched the two lovers held hands and crossed the streets together.

"Now that's a man." Ino said as she gave Chouji a high-five. The pearlescent then sat on her seat near the window and observed her best friend and her new friend walk away.

_I sure miss that feeling, _she thought as she allowed a small smile leave a mark on her face. _I sure miss him, a lot. _She then looked down as she remembered the happy times she had. Ignoring the person who walked passed by the window that she can clearly see from her peripheral view.

Speak or think of the devil and the devil will surely come. Who knows that phrase is quite true?

* * *

_**[Telephone rings]**_

_"Hello?"_

"You failed to call me earlier. Did an unfortunate event happen?"

_"Nope, not at all. Just busy with stuff."_

"I see." A smile grew on his lips.

_"So, you called. I may assume that you have something in mind."_

"Konan, you are as witty as ever."

_"You wouldn't fall for me if I'm not. Think I'm correct with that."_

"Hn, guess you are."

_"So what's the plan? Before this conversation move on to where we left it off last night."_

"So you do want to continue it."

_"I guess so."_

"Well then, send in the bomber and the puppet master right away."

_"The two? Aren't they too young for this?"_

"Well, seems like our little Deidara is getting bored with his daily routine. I want to give him a little adventure, so to speak."

_"Adventure huh. Oh well, I guess I couldn't change your mind."_

"Do me a favour, would you?"

_"What is it?"_

"When you pick them up, don't spoil them."

_"You know my lips are always sealed."_

"I know. Just make sure it goes the same with your wallet."

_"What did you mean by—"_

_** [bleep... bleep...]**_

_I guess it cannot be helped._

_**100% done. Your file has been sent to _.**_

_Hn, I guess I'm right._

_**-**__**End of Part 7**__**-**_

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm kind of nervous right now because we're approaching the climax, I've been waiting for this day to come so yeah. What do you guys think about this fic so far? :) You guys might think that this chapter, or rather part is just a filler chapter, but it plays a big part to the following chapters. So be patient, and I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Take care ya'll :D


	8. Catch Me If You Can

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 8**

**-Catch Me If You Can-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**Disclaimer part 2: **I do not own the song Distance by Long Shot Party. (Naruto's favorite song... in my fic of course.)

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

"This is what I'm talking about, un!" The bomber exclaimed while happily reading the map. The puppeteer just sighed; eyes still locked on the road.

"Just be sure you're giving the right direction, brat." The puppeteer's stern reply to the bomber, but said brat shook it off and remained his gaze on the map, trying not to ruin his mood by getting affected by the puppeteer's last word.

"There it is." The bomber finally uttered as he pointed his index finger at the white-bricked apartment with tinted glass entrance door and a window on each side. "That's where our target lives." He finished before opening the folder that contains what seems to be the Uzumaki Twins' profile. "Geez, why do we have to take 'em anyway?" The bomber asked obliviously, but received no reply from the puppeteer who parked the black BMW car they are riding few blocks away from the said apartment. The puppeteer then unbuckled his seatbelt after and leaned over to take a glance at the files.

The bomber really wants the puppeteer's answer for he cannot simply do the things the big boss wanted them to do without knowing the reason why they have to do it in the first place. "Answer me, danna, un." The bomber demanded, but still no reply from the puppeteer. "Danna—!"

"Shut up, brat, if you don't want others to find out why we're here. And give me those files." The puppeteer deadpanned as he smoothly snatched the folder from the bomber's grip.

"According to the files, Uzumaki Naruto is a Law student, while Uzumaki Naruko travels with her godfather around the world. She is also taking up Law and writing with her godfather as her mentor." The bomber explained. The puppeteer remained quiet and listened attentively on the bomber beside him.

"So the twin who only studies in the university is the male blond."

"Exactly, un." The bomber concurred. "And according to what I heard while big boss was talking to someone on the phone, their godfather and their other guardian works as a professor in the university."

"I see. Our job is easier than I thought it would be." The puppeteer said coolly upon giving back the files to the bomber.

"Not quite, our targets here are future lawyers, even though one of them looks dumb." The bomber quickly replied as he scanned the files once more.

_Hn, Deidara, you really have grown, _the puppeteer thought as he watched the bomber flipped the papers. And like on cue, the bomber's face lightened up as an idea struck his head.

"Hn, you know the plan. Don't do anything stupid." The puppeteer uttered as he watched the bomber went out of the car. "And don't keep me waiting."

"I know, un." With that, the man in suit and green coat went ahead and entered the apartment.

* * *

_It was hard to ignore the girl before his eyes. She was lying innocently on his bed, eyes shut but the smile continues to grow. I should be leaving now but my whole body refused to move... She is truly a beauty, and I just want to watch her all day, all night, and forever... She straightened now; both hands were clutching the sheets of the bed, her fine bare figure gradually becoming visible on the silk blanket: the only thing that is left to cover all her pureness to my craving eyes. She's arching... I think I know what she' dreaming about. And I think it is time to make it a reality. I then—_

_**Ding dong…**_

_And just when I was about to reach the climax..._

_**Ding dong…**_

Kakashi then placed his book on the table and lazily head to the door to open. But what he saw before his eyes was something he clearly wasn't expecting.

Before his eyes stood a fine young lady with golden blonde hair that she kept in half pony. Her bangs were long, enough to cover her beautiful left eye. Her lips are pink - a kissable lips indeed. She was wearing a suit under her green coat; and by her appearance, she looked like a high school student. Kakashi doesn't really like visitors, but maybe he could make an exemption for this young lady. She does remind him of the female character he liked in the book.

"And who are you looking for, my princess?" He asked a bit seductively. With his voice so soothing that any girls would simply want to hear him talk more, and smile marked on his masked face that would definitely make any girl faint.

"Say what?" But not for this visitor, for **he** seemed to be a male and not a girl at all. "The fuck's wrong with you man?!" The visitor retorted while waving his clenched fist in the air, shocking the gray haired man before him.

"Oh, I'm deeply sorry. But may I ask, what brings you here?" Kakashi asked nicely, though it's quite rare for someone to visit his room at a time like this, especially a student. It was thirty minutes before noon, and every student should be within school premises.

"I was just wondering if Uzumaki Naruko lives here, un." The blond asked while trying to get a peek inside. "I'm a good friend of hers. Name is Takashi Kin."

"I'm sorry but I'm the only one in here." The gray haired man said honestly.

"Oh. Sorry for bothering, un." The visitor replied with a polite bow.

"It's okay. You may visit me anytime, _**princess**_." Kakashi replied with a teasing smirk on his face, eyes gleaming like the stars above.

_Is this man a paedophile gay?_ The visitor thought as he gave the man a fake smile and left.

"Kashi-jii-san, who was it?" Naruko asked as she walked towards the living room from the kitchen to watch on the television.

Kakashi then gently closed the door and made sure he locked it before joining the sunflower in the couch.

"Just the mailman." Was Kakashi's reply as he snatched the remote from her hands.

"But you weren't holding any envelopes."

"Exactly." Kakashi replied as he gave back the remote and grabbed his book on the table instead, causing the sunflower to sigh audibly. "But may I ask, do you have a blond friend whose name is Takashi Kin?" he asked in his casual tone.

The sunflower thought for a while. She did try to enter a private school for a year. It was her godfather's busy year so he cannot tutor her with her studies. "I think I do." She then headed to her brother's room and took out a notebook before joining the gray-haired man again in the living room.

"What's that?" Kakashi asked curiously as he placed his book on his lap.

"Yep, I know him." Naruko confirmed as she took out a love letter and handed it to her uncle. "The guy asked me on a date once, but I rejected him."

"Why did you?" He asked curiously. The guy did write a wonderful love letter for her, and he was only asking for a once-in-a-life-time date.

"His golden hair reminded me of Naruto and father's hair. So I rejected him." So that's why. Kakashi couldn't blame her though. The guy did have the same color as Naruto and Minato. Not to mention the length, for it was almost the same as Naruko's. If he's in Naruko's place, he would definitely date that man, knowing that the guy looked like his favourite character.

"Oh, and Naruto texted. He said Jiraiya-jiji sent him home."

"Say what?" Kakashi asked. "What happened?"

"I dunno." Naruko shrugged. "But expect a ranting blond boy in five minutes."

"Five minutes?!"

"Yep, that's what he said." Naruko replied. "Kashi-jii-san, what's with the high to—er… where are you going? Hey!" Naruko asked as she watched her uncle head immediately to the door. She then sighed and decided to watch the television before she hears another cat-and-dog argument outside later.

Kakashi ran downstairs without wasting any seconds to catch up with the male blond. Whoever he is, he should not see his nephew. Because whoever he is, disregarding his age and his feminine looks, he must be working under Orochimaru. Jiraiya was right, they are on their move, and allowing that young man to catch just a millisecond glimpse at either of the twins would mean trouble. Plus the lad seems to be a smooth player and a good researcher, for he was able to know about Naruko's previous suitor. But Kakashi is not an ordinary person who would fall easily. He had encountered greater con-artists, and a high school student won't outwit him with his amateur lies.

And looks like the odds are in Kakashi's favour, because his previous blond kid is still standing in front of the entrance door. He seemed to be waiting impatiently for someone. _Hm… This would be fun, _he thought as he watched the man shifted his weight to the right. Kakashi did enjoy toying with him, and it might scare him and not want to go back in the apartment again, knowing that there would be paedophile gay man waiting for him there. But then again, he won't have any idea on who really sent him here, if he was really sent by someone; or if not, what is his real purpose for coming, is it to take another luck and court Naruko once more? With all the questions Kakashi wanted to know, he then decided to observe him for a while.

The blond swore the puppeteer parked the car exactly seven meters away from the apartment, but it seemed like the car was nowhere to be found, even the puppeteer himself. Deidara now is in panic. Not only is he late for his next class and skipped his lunch, but some gray-haired man is trying to seduce him. This is child abuse he thought, and he cannot, or better yet, doesn't know how to handle such thing. He urgently needed his danna to help with this kind of situation. And as he was about to make a phone call, he remembered that he left his phone in the car in case someone calls him and blew away their cover. And when all hope is gone, all a teenage guy could do is sit on the step of the stair and give up.

"Hn, brat. I told you not to keep me waiting." A familiar voice uttered. And like the blond expected, it was his Sasori no danna to the rescue, just in the nick of time. And all Deidara could do is stare at him shockingly and yelp.

"Danna!"

"What took you so long? You were just going to ask one question. And that took you twenty minutes?" The crimsonette deadpanned and released a sounding sigh as he pulled the blond's arm up to raise him up.

"It only took me ten minutes, un. Ten freakin' minutes to search for the room and rewarded by meeting a paedophile retard gay." The blond ranted upon flailing his hands in front of his danna to elaborate his point. "And the remaining ten minutes was wasted by waiting for you, un." He finished as he crossed his hands and faced the door, only to see his worst nightmare.

"Who is your friend here, my princess?"

_P-princess? What in the world happened? _The crimsonette mused as he watched the gray-haired man approached them slickly.

The blond obviously became stiff, and Sasori knew that this is the man he was pertaining to; and the fact that the man clearly had both his eyes on him and is now toying with him like he's some kind of an innocent puppy. Which he somewhat is. It only means that Deidara failed to follow their original plan about him offering a business to their guardian. But he cannot fully blame the teenager, he is after all, only sixteen, the stage where teenager's head hardens like a giant pebble and is craving for full independence. But he was at fault too, he shouldn't have let him accept this mission, he is still under age. And as his guardian, it is his responsibilities to make sure he's safe and… well to summarize everything, the care for his safety; which means he has to get rid of this man who's scaring the shit out of the blond.

"Well uh… un." First of all, the blond should learn how to shut his mouth, because technically, it was the only thing that always put him to danger. _**This**_**,** for example.

"Well?" the gray-haired man teasingly asked, and soon accompanied by a smirk upon seeing his nephew passed by behind his two targets, creeping not only the blond, but also the crimsonette, but Sasori still managed to compose it. With his natural impassive face it is quite easy. And the two seemed to not notice the person who just entered the apartment.

"My… butler, un!"

_His what?! _The crimsonette almost choked at his saliva upon hearing the blond almost exclaimed answer.

Well, it wasn't what the gray-haired man wanted to hear, but it was close. Looks like his unapparent interrogation will begin any time now. "And what would be his name?" He asked with the same tone.

"H-H-Hideki, un. Hideki is his name." the blond said almost confidently, but trail of nervousness is still visible.

And this time, Sasori got choked and coughed several times. _Hideki? What kind of name is that?_

"Hm… Excellent _**tree**_, nice name you got there, Takashi Kin-san's butler." Kakashi uttered while rubbing his chin. This is what Sasori was expecting to happen. And there is clearly _**no way**_out of this mess the blond effortlessly made.

The crimsonette then cleared his throat and faced the blond with a polite bow. "I believe your class will start soon, master." He said, eyes still locked on the ground as he gradually straightened up.

It was actually a smooth play from the crimsonette, and Deidara was not expecting him to cooperate at all. But it is a top mission; of course, his danna does not have any choice but to play along with his game. With that, Deidara turned around and immediately lead the way to somewhere far away from the gray haired man. The only thing that caused him to halt upon landing his feet from the last step was hearing his danna cleared his throat once more.

"The other way, master." He said with a polite bow again and led the way, with the blond immediately following him on his tail.

* * *

"You brat. What did you do?!" Sasori grunted upon starting the engine and stepped on the accelerator without hesitation. He just wanted to get out of the place as soon as possible. Plus Deidara is very late for his next class.

"Look, I thought that maybe altering the plan a little would make our job easier." The blond explained, while the crimsonette cursed under his breath.

"You simply don't change the plan without telling the other company. Always keep that in mind."

"Well I did, un. It just so happens that I left my—"

"Cut your excuses and think of a way on how to clean up the mess you left."

"What the fu—"

"Watch your mouth…"

"—uck! I am not a kid anymore!" Deidara retorted as he faced the window.

Adolescent stage surely is hard to handle, especially if you are not a parent, and far from becoming a parent. Sasori is only in his mid-twenties and he's raising a teenage boy on his own. He is now regretting becoming Deidara's childhood friend.

Sasori then released a perceptible and hasty sigh and took a short glance at the fumed blond. "Look, I know you are old enough, but we are in this together. And we cannot blew this thing up—"

"I know, un." Was the blond's stern reply, still ignoring his danna. He could have seen his danna's rare compassionate expression if he wasn't stubborn and prideful enough. And Sasori should have known that it would be a waste of time to have a profound conversation with the blond. And god, he needs a real butler to handle this brat.

"At this rate, we cannot go back there and carry on." The crimsonette explained upon fixing his gaze on the road. "We'll start again tomorrow." It was more like an order when he said it, and there is no way Deidara can oppose his danna's tone. He then just sighed while watching the view. "And please don't do anything stupid next time."

"Like what, un?" The blond dourly asked. He was still sulking about the crimsonette's accusation. He is still a kid, a sensitive one indeed. And of all people who could have said such thing, it was his da—wait. He always said such things to him. He should have gotten used to it.

Sasori then sighed before replying to the blond. "Like changing the plan, brat." the crimsonette sternly reply. "And what's with the name?"

"Like what I said—"

"I already heard your lame excuse. I just want to know why you chose those names."

"And what is wrong with the names."

"They are… hideous."

"They are not fu—"

"Watch your mouth…"

"—ucking hideous!" The blond fumed, earning him a sigh from the crimsonette. "They are unique, un." the blond pointed out. "Plus, they are better than our codenames assigned by big boss." _Though I really expect him to hate it, I was never good at inventing names, _Deidara thought to himself. "They call you a puppeteer because you own the world's biggest toy company, and your hobby is making puppets…" _Which creeps me sometimes, _the blond thought before continuing, "And they call me bomber because I'm currently managing my parent's weaponry company, and I inherited my father's company that manufactures explosives." The blond ranted. "And we don't even sell fireworks yet they kept asking me if we sell one." He added, flailing his hands this time for emphasis.

Sasori then sighed few seconds after Deidara's yapping. "I actually preferred the title puppet master—"

"Puppeteer, danna… puppeteer, un." The blond corrected.

"—than Hideki." Sasori continued as if he wasn't interrupted, before releasing another sigh. _As long as I live and this brat exists, I will never run out of air for a sigh,_ he thought upon releasing another one.

"And what is wrong with that name? It suits you perfectly." Deidara replied in _as-a-matter-of-fact_ tone.

"And how does _'excellent tree'_ fits me?"

"Well… puppets equals wood equals _tree._ And you do make excellent wooden puppets." Deidara said, though his last statement were just words to temporarily flatter the crimsonette.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. "It is not funny, brat."

"Of course it is not!" Deidara stressed out. "Because it is _**art**_."

"Hn, and what do you mean by that word?"

"Unique and ephemeral. Like a gun shot in the brain." The blond explained proudly. "It only takes seconds to pull the trigger, but it creates big and severe impact to the target." He finished with a smug smirk marked on his face. "How about you, un?"

"Simple…" Sasori casually uttered upon stirring the wheels. "Yet catchy. Like a poem perhaps." He then changed the speed while explaining. "The words used may not be that easy to comprehend, but because of the rhyming and the patterns, it became catchy to the readers and thus making them understand its flow, then soon its relation, then its meaning." He added after another turn. "Its meaning can be profound, or it can be something written in front of you, it all depends on the reader. It has a mysterious side that makes the reader want to read it more, thus appreciating its simple beauty." He finally finished upon stopping at the red light.

"You see, Deidara, not all things should go your way. Sometimes we have to abide the instructions given to us to avoid mistakes. Perfect example of mistakes was your move earlier. You cannot just…" Sasori then trailed off as he heard a hushed snore. He then immediately turn to his passenger and realized that he was long asleep. Sasori does not know if he would get mad at the blond or just let him sleep. He is still a kid, though he tends to forget sometimes... actually most of the time. Blame the major influence in his life; he did a fine job on creating a bratty blond monster. Sasori then slipped another sigh through his lips and waited, as always, impatiently for the traffic light to turn green.

* * *

Tsunade and Jiraiya were having their afternoon _'tea'_ when someone came knocking to the door. It wasn't fast, so it must not be an emergency, nor was it slow to answer the incoming call the secretary was supposed to say. It was only three knocks, and that's it, the knocker did not even bother to go in.

"What in the world are you waiting for, the end of the world? Come on in." Tsunade cried. And to their surprise, a gray-haired man came through the wooden door.

"What is it, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked as she filled her glass again.

"They're on the move." Kakashi reported seriously, making the two older companies straighten up with eyes locked on him.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked a bit surprised about Kakashi's report.

"Minutes ago, I was at home with Naruko when a blond man came knocking and was looking for her."

"What made you so sure that the blond man works on the Akatsuki?" Tsunade asked frankly before drinking. Kakashi paused for a moment and waited for Tsunade to place her glass down before explaining his theory.

"You see, that blond man is a student. And as far as my teaching profession is concern, no students are allowed to go outside the school premises at this time."

"It is still not a strong proof—"

"Let him finish, Tsunade." Jiraiya interrupted, causing the blonde to glare at him.

"Fine, fine, please continue." She said as she flapped her hand in the mid-air, gesturing for the gray-haired man to continue.

"I also recognized his so-called butler." Kakashi said. "I used to take care of a business case where the Akasuna Toy Company is involved. If I am not mistaken, he's Chiyo-san's grandson, a deceased Akatsuki member." He finished smoothly. Silence then dawned in the room.

"Are there any more reports, Kakashi?" She asked while taking away the tea that Kakashi swore smells like sake.

"Well, there is still one." Kakashi said upon giving a glance at the white haired man, who seemed unconscious of it. "The Akatsuki boys nearly came across Naruto."

"What?" Tsunade almost choked upon hearing the gray-haired man's words, instigating her to lodge an intense glare at the white haired man seated in front of her.

"Well, what happened? And why did you send him home?" She asked Kakashi with a worried look. Her last question was sternly addressed to Jiraiya who seemed to be acting steadily regarding the situation.

"I am not so sure. But I must be off now. I need to watch over the twins." Was Kakashi's play-safe reply, avoiding the school directress' wrath. He then gave a polite bow to the two royals and left, hoping that the two blondes are safely staying inside the apartment.

Tsunade then allowed her hand to bang on the ever-steady table few inches away from where Jiraiya's arm was resting. "Why the hell did you do such a thing?" She asked infuriately. "You could have put him in danger—"

"I know, Tsunade, I know." Jiraiya calmly said as his other fist crumpled the hem of his coat. "To be honest, I was expecting Kakashi to report this thing." He finished, eyes locked on his lap, causing the blonde to explode once more.

"And why would you…" She trailed off as Jiraiya's words finally sunk into her mind. "You were expecting?" She echoed. This time she went around her table and sat on the seat parallel to the white-haired man. "What really happened, Jiraiya? I want the full details. I thought this was between me and you?" She asked demandingly, expecting her colleague would clearly explain everything.

"I received a text message from my spy regarding the Akatsuki's plan." _Since you succeeded on stopping my plan on infiltrating the company… _Jiraiya thought before releasing a muffled sigh and continued. "According to my spy, the enemy would permeate in the university first and search for Naruto. It was too careless of me to send him home. It didn't come across my mind that they would target Naruko first." He said rather sullenly, still ignoring the blonde's gaze.

"Of course, they must have done a thorough research and figured out that their two guardians are professors in the university. And clearly, Naruko is not enrolled in the university, there's a big chance that they might…" She trailed off. Tsunade then released an imperceptible sigh and headed back to her own seat to finish all her paper works, before Shizune piles another stack. "I don't know what your spy told you," she said while marking a stamp on each paper. "But it's either that spy of yours is not a reliable source, or he's not reliable at all." She finished, confusing the white-haired man a little.

"You were somewhat redundant there." He said a quarter teasingly.

Tsunade, completely ignoring the humour her white-haired colleague was implying, remained serious and focused on her work.

"What a shame. You call yourself a writer yet you cannot distinguish the difference between the words played in the sentence." Tsunade replied casually.

"Because there is no difference between them." Jiraiya corrected, a bit offended by the blonde's statements.

"Well, maybe if you were good at analyzing, you might get the difference between them." She replied nonchalantly. "It actually somewhat serves as a warning." This time she raised her head to meet the eyes of the man before him. "You should avoid giving your full trust to someone."

"Heh, trust me," Jiraiya assured. "We can trust that person."

* * *

"You are my friend, aah—oof!" The goldie grumbled as the locker's door smacked flatly on his face. He then glared at the locker door and growled as the door gradually closes. "Teme, watch where you smack that door would… you?" Naruto trailed off as he realized that the door belonged to none other than the heiress of the Hyuuga Company, Hinata.

Hinata then immediately turned red as her gaze shifted to the blond. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun!" She yelped, causing her company gaze on her direction.

"Na-Naruto?!" Her company, with a name of Kiba, exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Geez, I was about to ask the same thing." Naruto replied while rubbing his nose. Then his attention falls back to the Hyuuga heiress. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I-I-was… uh…" Hinata stammered, she was having a hard time spitting out her answer, until she cannot handle their closeness and caused her to run to the nearest toilet room.

"Geez… Hinata was never like that. She stutters, but she never ran away from me." Naruto uttered as he mused at the running Hyuuga heiress. "Wait, did I say something wrong? Or do I look like a mess or something? Or—"

"One more question and I'll assume you have something for her." Kiba teased as he patted the goldie's shoulder, earning him a glare from the said blond. "To answer your question, her father enrolled her in a short course since they'd be staying here for another long months." He said upon rubbing his chin.

Naruto then nodded and observed something different from the brunet. "Oi, where's your pup?" he asked, pointing at brunet's back pack.

"Oh, Akamaru? I left him home. Hana-nee-chan's helping me take care of him." He replied.

"Why? Let me guess, he peed on your stuffs huh? Huh?" Naruto then released a mighty laugh. "Ha! I bet your bag smells like pee and poo mixed together."

"Shut the hell up!" Kiba growled upon implanting a glare towards the goldie. "So what if you're right. It's not really a big deal." He finished with arms crossed to his chest, making the goldie laugh some more.

"So you do admit that your bag smells like—"

"I said cut it out!"

"Ha! Maaa~ke me." Naruto ragged upon dodging the brunet's head-chop. "As I expected, you cannot make me. Ha-ha-ha!" The blond mocked before releasing another mighty laugh.

"Geez, you're like a kid. I'm out." The brunet said upon turning around and decided to look for his company.

"Alright-ttebayo! See ya later poo-whiff." He teased for the last time as he watched the brunet shun shin away from him. "Geez, I just love playing with him."

"No wonder you have a heavy karma at home." A man said, startling the goldie. "Oho, why so jumpy?"

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto said as his fist met with the older man's. "Watcha doin' here?"

"As you can see, this is my building." The white-haired man replied. "I thought your English class is on Monday, why are you here?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto then scratched behind his head and replied. "Well, my locker's here. Actually, me and my biology partner, we have a lot of things for our experimentation so we decided to avail a temporary locker-ttebayo."

"Why not use your room in the apartment?" the older man asked curiously. An awkward silence dawned between them as both of them thought of the sunflower blonde. "I guess availing a locker's fine." He then finished with a pat on the goldie's shoulder.

"Yeah…" Naruto concurred, giving his ero-sennin an untamed smile. "I better go now!" he said as he head to the door.

"May I ask where you're heading to?" the older man asked.

"The library, my partner's gonna meet me there. I might waste my time there before my next class in my major class starts." Naruto replied. He then waved goodbye after and disappeared completely.

"Hmm…. The library eh." He said while watching the door swings. "This would be easy." He said to himself once more upon heading to his next class.

* * *

"Danna, un. This should be easy." The blond said as he watched the students entered the gate. "I'm gonna nail this for sure—"

"Who said you're going out?" The crimsonette uttered as he unbuckled his seatbelt and placed the files near the blond. "You're staying here."

"Say what?!" The blond fumed. "You cannot encage me here, un!" he exclaimed to the crimsonette who on the other hand, had already headed out of the car.

"I am not encaging you." The crimsonette corrected. "I am just thwarting you."

"From what, un?" Another exclaim from the blond, with gesturing his hands for emphasis.

"From doing stupid things like making me your butler…" And with that, Sasori slammed the door closed and locked it from the outside. "And you better not try to break the windows if you don't want to meet Mr. Reaper tonight." He followed as he peaked from the little opening on the window. Deidara then sulked on his seat and murmured profanities intended for the crimsonette.

"For all I know you'll also fail like me—"

"Never level my skills to yours, brat." The austere crimsonette sternly addressed to the obdurate blond. He then released a heavy sigh and head to his destination.

To be honest, Sasori doesn't know where to head, he just wanted to observe the place for a while and maybe gather some information like the Uzumaki boy's schedule and his friends. And good thing he decided to do such thing. Because of that, he discovered that he has some kind of relations with the Hyuuga, particularly the heiress; and he has a friend who has a pet pup. Too bad he was not able to see the Uzumaki boy's dog lover friend, special thanks to the big assed, bouncing baby boy who blocked his view behind the first set of lockers. And because of the said bouncing baby boy, he also failed to see Naruto personally, only his hair when he was heading to the door to head to the library.

It should be easy though, all he has to do is go to the library and trap him there. But no—he can't. Who would have thought that one of the university's pioneer law students has good eyesight? Now Sasori is stuck in pretending to be a new student, and is now currently touring around the campus with the white-haired man.

"So, what's your course, lad?" _He must be the Akasuna boy Kakashi was telling,_ Jiraiya thought as he gestured to enter the arts building. For Sasori it was actually a nice choice of building to distract him for a while, for the paintings hanged in the ivory white walls sure are captivating.

"Business management, sir." The crimsonette replied politely before he caught glimpse of a laughing blond inside the car parked few blocks from the building. _Well, it is somewhat close to the truth. I am currently handling a business, and an annoying brat, _he thought as he shot a quick glare at the said blond. He then let a hushed sigh slip through his mouth as he entered the building, while thinking of a way on how to escape from the white-haired man's blabbering and continue with his mission.

* * *

_"I told you you'll fail, un."_

"_Shut the hell up, girly brat."_

"_Who the hell did you call girly brat?"_

"_Hn, you, **girly brat**."_

"_Why you—"_

"Cut it off, both of you." The man sternly ordered at the two men on the line. He swore he heard a grotesque wail that almost pierced right through his ears. "Deidara, I know this is your first mission. But—"

"_I know, un. It's just—"_

"_Let him finish you brat."_

"_What the fu—"_

"_Watch your mouth…"_

"—_uck!"_

The man took a deep breath and allowed it to pass through his lips effortlessly while listening to the two bickering men. Seriously, when would he have a serious conversation with the two?

"Sasori, please take our little Deidara—"

"_I am not a little kid anymore, un! I am fu—"_

"_Watch your mouth…"_

_"—ucking sixteen, **sixteen**!" _The blond exclaimed from the other line, emphasizing his last word and making sure he made clear of his age. Then another argument blossomed between the blond and the crimsonette. The man then sighed and pressed a random number on the phone to make a 'toot' sound – another substitute for a whistle to halt the two men, causing him to shot profanities under his breath upon hearing another grotesque wail, from the very same blond, that surely pierced right through his ear drums.

"Take him to Konan and hurry back here. I've got some things to ask from you." The man ordered, shifting the phone to his other ear.

"Hai, Pein-sama." The crimsonette answered just before they end the call.

_**[bleep, bleep]**_

"Hn, everything is going according to the plan." The man stated upon placing his crossed feet on his desk.

* * *

"Why can't I go with you, un?" The blond yapped as he sipped his free smoothies.

"Because it is an order. You know we have to strictly abide his orders." The crimsonette replied with a Mona Lisa smile marked on his face. "Besides, you need to rest. Plus you have to finish your assignments." The crimsonette finished before sipping his cup of coffee, earning him a frown with matching pout from the blond.

The two were taking a short break in the Garden Café before they travel back to the headquarters. It is indeed the homiest café they have went to in the city, for Sasori. Deidara on the other hand, only appreciated the delicious food and drinks they serve. And not only it is well furnished and decorated, the café seems to be filled with a very juicy news that pleased the crimsonette's and the blond's ears about the clash of the blondes that happened days ago. And the word that probably lured the two to listen to the group of chatting students was the name, Uzumaki Naruto. It actually confirmed one of Sasori's theory that the said blond lives within the street where this café is erected. And since the group of students seemed to know the said blond quite well, they might help the art duo ace their mission.

"Danna, un. Did you hear 'em?" Deidara asked in a hushed voice. Sasori then nodded and gesture for the blondie to finish his smoothies. Deidara then did what his danna told him to do and quietly followed the crimsonette out of the café and in to their car.

"So, what's the plan, un?" Deidara excitingly asked while buckling his seat-belt. Sasori did the same thing as he took his seat and casually started the car's engine and replied.

"We'll stop hunting the two blondes for a while."

"What?" Was the only thing the blondie managed to reply on his shock state. "What happened to our plan?"

"There was no plan to begin with." The crimsonette coolly replied as the car began to move. "Besides, your prince charming is hiding something from us." Sasori finished, causing him to earn a curious expression from the blondie.

The crimsonette then sighed and said with a smirk. "Hn, you really are a brat."

"Why you…" Deidara growled, but decided to calm himself seconds after realizing that he cannot find the perfect word to throw at the crimsonette. Instead, he sat quietly like a good boy and watched the scenery outside with a frown marked on his forehead.

"It is just one of my assumptions though." The crimsonette followed up. "We'll lie-low for now and construct a contingency plan using all the information we have, and additional knowledge that we would discover while observing the twins' surroundings." Sasori said as he turned the wheel as they passed by an intersection. "In that way, the twins' guardian will lose track on our plans, and we'll succeed on this mission." He finished, literally ending their conversation because the blond eventually fell asleep. Again.

**_-End of Part 8-_**

* * *

**Author's Note:** The following chapters after this would cover the progress of Naruto and Sakura's relationship, so stay tune folks. Let me know what you guys think so far and yeah... Take care ya'll :D


	9. Just a Test

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 9**

**-Just a Test-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

_Everything starts with friendship. And yet, I'm having this certain feeling towards a girl I barely even know. I do know about her father's death, and her outstanding smartness. But beyond that, the simplest things, such as her favourite food or color, are not even written in my brain's memo pad. And to think that we've been working together for our biology project for months now and… I should have at least known few things about her. But I am hopeless as ever. Maybe that poo-whiff is right. Maybe I'm a bit annoyed that all I ever talked about with her is our project together._

_ I wonder if she's only pretending to read the book in front of her, and thinking the same thing as I do…_

Naruto cleared his throat, hoping to capture the rosette's attention. Unfortunately, the rosette seemed to not mind the hoarse sound he's creating, and remained her gaze on the book. Naruto then cleared his throat once more, but ended up coughing for real, and earned several hushes from the librarian.

Out of luck, Naruto banged his head on the book he was reading, and wished for the day to end.

"Naruto…" At least he finally caught her attention. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Naruto grunted upon feeling the pain in his temple. "Just having a headache."

Naruto heard several pages of the book rustled, and heard it closed, before sensing his companion's hand patting his head lightly. "Want to eat somewhere?" He heard her asked, but still refused to raise his head, even though it was tempting to do so.

"Hey…" His companion calmly called once more, but he remained unmoved like a clay statue. "We could rest for a while and—"

"We have to finish this-ttebayo." Naruto interrupted, raising his head to meet his companion's gaze. "We don't have a topic yet and I'm kind of worried that—"

"You are right." His companion concurred. "But we cannot push ourselves like this." She continued, raising her index finger in the mid-air to emphasize her point. "We need to rest too." She finished with a sweet smile that would surely melt someone's heart. Naruto's to be exact.

And without receiving any reaction from the blond, aside from him staring blankly at her, she stood up and grabbed the blond by his wrist and led him outside of the library.

"S-S-Sakura..." He stammered upon realizing that the hand holding his wrist belongs to his companion. "How about our—"

"Our things will be safe," the rosette assured. "I usually do that." She finished as she glanced back at her companion with a smile. Naruto then eagerly followed the rosette towing him as he lost himself to a daydream.

A daydream where he's in a garden full of flowers, similar to the flowers in the university, and him watering all of them in a peaceful afternoon like the weather they have right now. His parents, Jiraiya, and Kakashi would be there too, with Naruko, sitting on the picnic mat in the middle of the garden, with vines dangling in the criss-crossed wood planks that serve as the ceiling. Then his friends would come with guitars and beat box at the back of the pick-up car. And they would play all-day long in the garden, happily enjoying the day. If only it could happen someday. Even just for a day.

"Earth to Naruto? Are you still there?" His companion asked, while waving one hand inches away from Naruto. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah…" Naruto shook his head and replied. "Everything's alright-ttebayo." He said with a sheepish smile, causing Sakura to raise a brow.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-ye-yeah." Naruto stammered, looking elsewhere but the rosette's gaze, in thought that she can read minds.

"I don't think so." She replied. "I know this is kind of creepy, but kind of know when you're lying or not."

"Yeah, that's creepy." He muttered. "But really, you have nothing to worry about-ttebayo." He then said loudly before giving her a nice-guy pose. "Anyway, where are we going?" He asked upon scratching his head, eyes wandering around the park.

"We're going to eat." She replied rather cheerfully as her gaze shifted to Naruto's favourite stall, brightening the blond's aura.

"At Ichiraku Ramen?!" He asked in his unusual high-pitch and happy tune. Sakura nodded with a smile, before leading the way.

"One seafood, and one pork please." The rosette ordered as she sat on one of the stools, followed by the blond who sa next to her.

"H-h-how did you know my order?" Naruto asked.

"Isn't that what you always order?" Sakura replied with a smile.

_How did she know about this? _Naruto thought before saying thank you to Ayame, the cook's daughter, who served them their order.

"Enjoy your ramen." Ayame said cheerfully before heading to the storage room.

The two remained silent the whole time, but instead of being awkward about it, they were rather comfortable eating their ramen peacefully, and casually smiling whenever they glance at one another. It was true that they've been doing their project for few months now. Two months, to be exact. And within those months, they've somewhat developed a certain bond that made them comfortable with each other's presence; a bond that allowed them to call each other _'friends'._

"Ne Sakura, how are you?" Naruto asked thoughtfully after sipping the remaining soup in the bowl. "Weeks had passed since his, you know… how are you and your mother getting along with the situation?" He finished as he faced her.

"About my father's death?" Sakura asked leniently, earning her a nod from the blond. "My mother's gradually adjusting with the situation." She paused as she finished the remaining soup before continuing. "I'm starting to get used to it." She finished with a smile.

Naruto then looked down, instigating Sakura ask something out of curiosity, hoping that the blond would give the answer she want to hear.

"Why did you ask all of a sudden?"

Naruto was unsure if he would share his thoughts to the said rosette. But they are friends, right? It wouldn't cause him to meet Mr. Reaper if he would open up to his companion.

"I just… feel you. That's all." Naruto answered quite clichéd, causing Sakura to laugh at him. "What's so funny?" He asked with a pout, making the rosette laugh some more.

"C'mon, think you have a deeper reason."

"And you think I'm not serious?"

"No, not at all. Why so serious?"

"I wasn't serious-ttebayo!"

"And you just said you were serious."

"Ye—no, hey!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at the laughing rosette.

"You are _so_ childish." She said while trying her very best to compose herself.

"Geez, you're quite an observant."

"Well it was pretty obvious."

"Am I that easy to read-ttebayo?"

Sakura then rubbed her chin, and looked up at the tent's eves, before answering the blond's question. "Yep, you're easy to read," She replied merrily, gaze falling back to the blond. "As easy as an alphabet book." She finished before giving in for another round of laughter, making the blond look elsewhere with his trademark pout.

"Hey, c'mon, I was just joking." Said Sakura while catching her breath.

"Yes, yes you are, _**Sakura-chan.**_" Naruto replied before briefly sticking his tongue out towards the rosette. Sakura did the same thing, ending them up to laugh at each other's childishness.

"Heh, you are as childish as me!" Naruto pointed out, earning him a smack on the head with a chopstick. "Ow! Hey, that's used."

"It is yours." Sakura explained while returning the chopstick back to Naruto's bowl.

"Geez pops, your chopsticks reminds me of a skunk." Naruto said while staring at the black chopsticks with white tip and holder in the porcelain bowl with blue floral design.

And like on cue, Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, as the light bulb on top of their head lit with a blinding light.

"Heh, Sakura-chan, think you read my mind." Said Naruto with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Need not to say another word." The rosette replied with almost the same expression.

And looks like B1 and B2 are on their move for their project.

* * *

The two immediately head back to the library after an idea struck their brain cells, in search for all the books they need, and even some articles they found and some documentary CDs.

"You photocopy the articles, and I'll go and head to the circulation to ask if we could photocopy the old books we can't borrow." Sakura said while pushing the tray of books.

"Alright-ttebayo." Naruto agreed while taking all the articles on the bottom shelf of the tray, and head to the service area after they passed by along the way.

The two met at their previous desk, shoving away all books they were reading earlier, and prepared the new ones for reading. And they were rather fascinated at the topic they've finally agreed on. When Iruka-sensei said that he wanted a unique topic for thesis, what Sakura and Naruto thought was that they have to search for something hard and complicated; something that requires thorough research. Not even realizing that some unique topics are rather easy, and only requires observing skills, and solid research background. Something Naruto is not good at, the fact that he failed to observe basic things about his companion. But all things aside, the topic the two have chosen of would not even make the two of them sweat. And they were lucky enough for they were the only one who thought of the topic, according to Iruka-sensei's reply when Sakura texted him the moment they've fully agreed to work on the topic. Though the big problems are one: the materials they have, rented days ago inside their locker that would not need at all, what a waste of money; and two: the place where they could buy or rent the things they need, especially the skunk.

"Geez, and to think this would be easy-ttebayo." He said while noting down the things they need.

"I'll try to ask help from Tsunade-shishou, maybe she knows some place where we could find a skunk." Sakura said while massaging behind her neck. Naruto nodded before stretching both arms upward, causing him to glance at the wall clock.

"Wow, I can't believe it's almost closing time." He uttered, making Sakura check her phone.

"And almost dinner time." She added while fixing her things. "We already divided the books and articles we borrowed. Too bad we were not able to check the CDs." She followed as she held the two documentary CDs.

"Yeah. But we could check it out soon." Naruto replied with a big grin. Sakura smiled at him, before asking him a question Naruto wasn't expecting to hear from her.

"Wanna eat dinner together?"

Naruto paused and stared at the rosette for few seconds, until he finally gave in to a smile while rubbing the bottom of his nose. "Heh, sure…" he replied. "So… it's a date?" He teased, instigating the rosette to roll her eyes away from the blond.

"Baka, don't be too assuming," she replied with a smile, before smacking the last book she was about to insert on her bag to the blond's head. "Let's go." She uttered after fixing her things. Naruto, who was rubbing the part where the book met his skull with a pout, nodded and led the way out of the library.

The streetlights lit the moment they stepped outside of the library, illuminating the nearly dark surrounding. The casting shadows of the trees and benches on the pavement, reminds nothing but memories, dancing in the mid-summer breeze of June; the warmth in the air, melting every cold heart that longs for warmth; with two hands entwined by the wonderful word that speaks thousands of meaning and interpretation. Rustling leaves synchronized with the melodious voice of the birds, playing in the branches like innocent children running around in the playground. Chattering voices and laughter echoes with the wind of time that never falters to stop even just for a millisecond, even just for a split moment, for a person to capture and enjoy the little things.

The view itself was life. And Naruto could never deny that he had never felt at home till now. Seeing everything as it is, far from harm he is encountering now; far from the miseries he carry. And seeing it fall behind would kill his soul. That's why he cannot let this certain feeling grow… He has to take the risk, to isolate himself from the people he wanted to protect, even though it hurts inside.

"Sakura-chan, I just remembered, I have to go home." Naruto said with a pained smile, that piqued the curiosity in Sakura's mind to no end.

But she is not in the right position to cross the line and ask him his problems. It was up to him if he wanted to share it or not. But, just as she was starting to trust men again, the only man he somewhat trusts still seemed so distant.

"Ok, Naruto. Take care." She replied with a smile, head slightly tilted to the side.

"Yeah, you too." And with that, Naruto waved goodbye and left, hoping that Sakura would be alright to head home all by herself.

He could have taken her to her place, being a gentle man that he is. Come to think of it – it was one of Naruko's rants about him – he is not a gentleman, at all.

It's still premature to call it love, but too profound to call it a crush. If only he could just jot down his feelings towards the rosette. If only he knows what he really feels towards her. The feeling that always makes him long for his parents' warm hug, and his sister's laughter; the feeling that makes him feel at ease, that no one is hunting him and his sister, like they are some wild animals that needed to be annihilated because of the harm they might cause to the world—their world. His feelings for her were like collections of ironies and dreamscapes, a mixture of spices that astonishingly goes along together despite of their differences. But is it still not enough to be called love, but its unusual tingle inside is still beyond to be called a crush.

* * *

"Naruto-nii-chan?" Naruko called upon opening the door gently. "You seem down, what's the matter?"

"Heh, it's nothing, Naruko." Naruto replied with a faint smile upon raising his body to a sitting position on his bed. He really do miss his bed, good thing Naruko finally agreed that he could lie in there, as long as she would be the one who sleeps there at night.

"Really, keeping secrets to me? I thought our relationship is better than that, nii-chan?" Naruko pointed out with a pout, earning her a weak laugh from her brother. She then looked down, with a frown visible on her forehead.

She was lost in thoughts on how to make her brother open up to her, that she failed to notice that he already had approached her. "Heh, Naruko, don't sulk, it's not your thing."

"I am not…" She trailed off upon realizing their closeness; his right hand on top of her raised head, his forehead almost touching hers, and his sweet smile that she herself could tell that he is hiding something. Naruko looked down and felt sad, being vulnerable to help her dear brother. "Sulking is not my thing." She finished solemnly as she walked away from her brother, and sat on the bed.

Naruto followed her seconds after, and sat next to her with both arms resting on his lap.

"Had a lunch date with Sakura-chan today."

"Eh, really?" Naruko uttered, surprised by her brother's words. "Nii-chan, that's wonderful! How did it go?"

"We just ate—OW!" He said, before crying all the pain he felt as some solid matter hit his head, and partially left a small lump right in the center. "What was that for, dattebayo?!" He whined while he faced his sister, rubbing the small lump in his head.

"Stop kidding around!"

"I am not kidding around-ttebayo!"

"Dattebane, yes you are!"

"I am not!"

"Stop raising your voice then!"

"You raised yours first!"

"My voice is high to begin with. This is my normal voice, baka!"

"Don't you ever call me baka!"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP?!" The naturally white-haired man yelled, as he bombarded the twins' room with both hands, the other clutching a pen while the other's holding a piece of paper, flailing in the mid-air with rising anger.

Both twins simmered down and remained quiet till the older man shun-shined away and closed the door.

"Heh nii-chan, we did make Jira-jiji angry, huh?"

"Yeah, scary as shi—" Naruko covered her brother's mouth just before Naruto finished his sentence.

"Don't, his ears are sensitive to vulgar languages when he's mad." Naruko said in a hushed voice.

"I thought he only does that to you?" Naruto uttered, earning him another smack on the head from the sunflower.

"What the hell did you use to smack me?" Naruto wailed softly, before Naruko reached out a photo album to her brother.

"I found it on your bookshelf this afternoon." Naruko said with a smile. "It was fun reminiscing the old times."

Naruto let a weak laugh pass through his lips upon flipping the pages of the album. "Funny thing is that, I was also reminiscing a while ago."

"During lunch time?" Naruko asked, earning her a nod from her brother, making her laugh with the coincident happening.

Naruto then meekly faced his sister and smiled. "Heh, I missed your laugh." He said, seizing the sunflower. "Why did you—"

"Heh, nii-chan, being dramatic is not your thing." Naruko giggled while hugging her brother tightly. "Now, would you tell me what's wrong?" she followed as she felt her brother hug back. But Naruto remained silent, making the most out of the moment, for they rarely have this moment. And it sure feels nice, to be held by someone, to know that you'd go home somewhere where you belong, where your family would wait there, and accept you.

* * *

"Sakura!" Her pearlescent roommate cried. "What happened to you? You're late!"

"Chill, Ino, I was in the library the whole time." Sakura answered passively.

"With Naruto, huh? Huh?" The pearlescent teased as she watched the rosette head to the kitchen, but received no reply from the rosette. "Oi forehead, why so snob?" She asked as she followed the rosette to the kitchen, and leaned at the counter facing the refrigerator, where Sakura's drinking her bottled water.

"I am not."

"Yes you are."

"I am not" The rosette's stern reply to the pearlescent, before looking down with a melancholic expression.

"Hey, Sakura. Are you alright?" The pearlescent asked upon approaching the rosette who sat on the floor, back leaned on the refrigerator. "Sakura, what happened?"

"It's about Naruto." She said, as the pearlescent eagerly listens to her. "I… I'm afraid…" She trailed off as she felt her tears welling up. The pearlescent then gently rubbed her back. "Ino, I… I don't want to do this to him."

"I can't seem to follow you, Sakura. You're not making any sense." Ino replied before shaking the rosette's shoulders lightly. "What is wrong, Sakura?"

"Sasuke... Sasuke is one of Naruto's friends. Close friends." The rosette finally managed to utter, as she allowed her tears to fall on her face, earning her a warm hug from the pearlescent.

"Look, I still don't see your point. But it's been years since you two broke up. I thought you've moved on?"

"Ino, listen." Sakura stated while gently pushing the pearlescent away. "I… I don't want to use Naruto. I… don't—"

"You won't, Sakura." Ino sternly uttered before shaking Sakura's shoulder once more. "You will never use him, because you do not love Sasuke anymore. We talked about this a million times—"

"We both know that I am still not over him, Ino. Don't lie to yourself, because you are also lying to me." Sakura painfully replied, before she looked down at her knees and hugged it. Ino did the same as she leaned on the refrigerator next to Sakura.

"I know." She concurred. "But you are not stupid enough to know what is right or wrong." She followed before glancing at her. "Keep that in mind, Sakura. Don't let the past happen again." With that, Ino stood up and head to their room.

It is easier said than done. But some things just happen, whether it is by your will or not. In either way, the result would depend on your destiny. And the choice of changing that destiny still depends on you. You hold your life, though it depends if luck is on your side or not. Depends… Yes, that word would forever be present, because there would always be a question that needed to be answer; and a result whether your answer was right, or not.

Sakura was never lucky to begin with. Her luck usually works by surprise. And all she could wish for now, is for her luck to surprise her, and help her fix the heartbreak she still has; and to help her stop the past from repeating itself.

With her head rested on the refrigerator, eyes shut while tears still streaming down her face, she took a deep breath and accepted all the pain in her heart. And as she slowly looked down at her lap, eyes gradually opened, she exhaled everything, and smiled to herself. Tomorrow would yet be another day, another start. Ino was right. And as the sun rises in the horizon of life, it is another start of the future.

* * *

"Ahh… I didn't know polecats and skunks are one."

"Geez, did you flunk in high school or something?"

"I would not pass in the university if I _flunked_ high school-ttebayo."

"Maybe because of your special connection with Tsunade-obaa-chan, that's why you passed."

"I was one of the top students-ttebayo!" The golden blond uttered in _as-a-matter-of-fact_ tone.

"Then how come you're the last person who found out that skunks and polecats are one?"

"Why you…" The golden blond growled upon hearing a teasing laugh from the sunflower

_Are they really like that? _Sakura mused as she watched the Uzumaki twins' argument. She found it amusing whenever the two argues because of simple things. Like this one for example.

"Never touch the hair."

"Heh, I always do that when we were younger." The golden blond teased, still ruffling the hair of the annoyed sunflower.

And with suppressing anger and ranging temper, the sunflower released her mighty roar. "Dattebane!" Not to mention, followed by a smack on the head by some unknown object out of nowhere.

* * *

"Heh, you should have stopped teasing her." The rosette uttered with a smile, while dabbing the ice-pack on the golden blond's temple, where the unknown object seemed to have left a purple mark.

The golden blond then replied with a smirk and said, "Heh, are you worried?"

The rosette then lightly hit the ice-pack on his temple, with a faint frown visible on her forehead. The golden blond hissed in pain, before feeling a light force bending him till his back is resting on the counter's edge, head slightly tilted upwards.

"Heh, Sakura-chan, no need to worry. My sister and I are usually like that."

"You let her hurt you?" The rosette asked curiously, the frown on her forehead gradually fading.

"If that's her way of expressing herself, why not…" Naruto shrugged. "I mean, I express mine vocally, her way is physically hitting something... someone…" Naruto shrugged once more, making the rosette giggle.

"Can I hire you as my brother?" She teased, earning her a sheepish smile from the golden blond.

"Heh, why not?" He replied, before the two of them decide to head back to the living room, where the previously enraged sunflower was sitting.

"Yo nii-chan, do you need a real skunk for this?" The sunflower, who was sitting on the floor, asked, with a face even Picasso can't paint, while pointing at the piles of papers and books.

"Yes. That's our first problem; we don't know where to get one." Naruto asked before sinking himself to the sofa, with Sakura sitting next to him.

And with her brother's reply, she only managed to look above and uttered under her breath. "Oh, good heavens."

"What's with the reaction-ttebayo?"

"Your project itself, where would the skunk stay?" The sunflower asked, hoping that her brother will not say such stupid things such as the skunk staying in their house.

"Well, Sakura-chan and I decided to take the responsibility alternately." Naruto replied with a grin.

"Everyday… the alternate thing, right?"

"Eh?" Naruto asked, not getting the sunflower's question, and not noticing the sweat drops rolling on the side of her face. "The skunk would stay at each other's house for a week. Right, Sakura-chan?" The golden blond asked upon facing the rosette with a smile, who nodded to the golden blond in reply.

"Heh, don't worry, Naruko-san, we might look for a skunk with removed scent glands because of its strong, and probably hazardous gas." Sakura assured to the sunflower, who smiled in return.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Naruko replied happily before standing up. "I'll leave you guys for a while."

"Oi, where are you going? Perv-jii-chan's not back yet."

"To the bathroom, wanna come?" Naruko retorted before sticking out her tongue to her brother, who did the same in return.

"Geez, you two are quite entertaining." Sakura teased while placing the books back to her bag.

"Heh, you're the first one who actually enjoyed watching us argue." Naruto replied while helping her pick up the books on the floor. "Our uncle and godfather usually get mad at us when we fight, mostly our godfather."

"I see."

"It's getting dark, where do you live?" Naruto asked thoughtfully, making a promise to himself that he would walk the rosette home.

"Why, are you planning to walk me home?" Sakura asked half teasingly.

"Yeah, why not." The golden blond replied, making the rosette wave both her hands.

"No, it's alright. I just live few blocks away."

"Then walking you home is alright then."

"Really, you don't have—"

"But I want to-ttebayo." Naruto eagerly replied. "I want to walk you home."

"Your call." The only think Sakura managed to reply before closing her bag, and following the golden blond to the door.

* * *

The sun was not setting yet when they went out of the room. Looks like four hours passed quickly whenever they are together. Or maybe because they are too busy with their thesis, and entertaining Naruko, who casually interrupts them. But in either way, the two were happy with their achievement regarding the progress of their thesis paper.

The blue sky earlier is now rendered with red orange and crimson, like a watercolour painting on a canvas; ornamented by white clouds, peacefully moving across the painted sky, manipulated by the cool, summer air breeze. Two shadows of two silhouettes walking down the street casted down the gray pavement, like a black and white sketch on a clean sheet of paper. The streetlights on the side lighting up one by one at the gradually dimming street, in sync with the colourful lights of each building, much like the scene the other day at the park. Though the chattering voices seems to fade as the two walk further, till the only thing they could hear is their footsteps, and the rustling sounds of the leaves.

Both were afraid to break the wonderful silence engulfing them, but their destination is nearly approaching. Soon their goodbyes would be seconds away from saying it to one another. Take a deep breath, they say, and accept the fear staying inside you, an exhaled it until what is left in you is bravery alone.

"I have to ask you something." The two uttered in sync, neither one of them noticed and decided to continue after the silence dawned. "What is your relation with Sasuke?" And with the magic word, the two met each other's gaze. Both were longing for an answer that would satisfy their confusion, but at the same time, it was also revealing fear. Fear that the answer they are digging would hurt every piece of them, and send them back to the corner of their haven, and break into pieces, and wait hopelessly to be put back into pieces. It was rather cliché that the two of them used to be close to the said raven, but neither one of them has the guts to approach him.

The two stopped walking, and remained their gaze to each other, with steady breathing that might tremble soon. Both hands were cold as ice; despite of the warm weather; and both took a deep breath, and decided to break the dawning silence once more.

"You may go first." Said in sync once more, causing them to laugh at their orchestrated responses to one another. "No, really you may." They said together once more.

The rosette then placed her index fingers centimetres away from the golden blond, only to tell him that she wished him to go first. The golden blond agreed on the rosette's request, and took a deep breath before leading her to the bench on the other side of the street, with a bus stop sign next to it. The rosette followed him willingly, in hope that the two are not that close as she thinks they are. But looks like all her hopes were dragged down by the golden blond's answer.

"We've known each other since we were young. We treated each other like siblings. But we've become distant to each other lately." He replied before putting both hands behind his head and leaning to the backrest of the bench, eyes locked at the rendered sky. "You can safely assume that we know each other very well. Though like what I said earlier, we became distant to one another recently. So I don't really know the things happening around him lately." He finished before closing his eyes, reminiscing the old happy times when they were young. It sure is tempting to bring back the good old days, where such problems does not exists yet, where happiness still reigns. But it is impossible to retrieve the past, and like what they say, all you can do is move one, since your future starts today.

"I guess you're waiting for my answer now." The rosette suddenly said. Seconds had already turned into minutes since the golden blond answered the rosette's question, allowing the deafening silence to dawn between them once more. The rosette then leaned on the backrest, and gazed at the same sky her companion was looking.

The golden blonde's eyes gradually fall on the rosette's, but failed to meet her own. He was unsure how to respond on the said rosette. But soon gazed back at the sky, and waited for to hear the rosette's voice.

"I met Sasuke three years ago." It was the same year when Naruto left the city of Konoha. The rosette can now see why the golden blond does not know her relationship with Sasuke. "The owner of the orphanage where Sasuke's staying is my parents' childhood friend. When they found out my father's condition, Mayu-san, the owner, decided to stay for a while for my mother's medication, since Mayu-san graduated from a medic school where Tsunade-shishou finished her doctorate." The rosette paused for a while, trying to balance her gradually shaking breathing, before continuing. "Mayu-san said he cannot leave Sasuke all alone in the orphanage so she took him with her. She even told us that she treats him like her own son."

"What happened then?" The golden blond's voice startled the rosette a little, but it somewhat soothes her, knowing that the said blond is willing to listen to her.

"He studied on the same school where I go. Became classmates for the whole three years, and became close to one another upon discovering each other's personality, and not to mention temper, and the rest was history." Sakura finished, smiling to herself that she managed to share her past with the raven without breaking into tears, which she usually does.

"_What_ was your history with Sasuke?" That was the question Sakura feared the most. But she cannot escape it forever. And as Sasuke's closest friend, Naruto has somewhat have the right to know about it.

"We were in a relationship for a year and a half. We broke up when he went back to the city months ago." Sakura replied as she closed her eyes, having a feeling that her tears might roll down her face anytime. "Having a relationship with him was quite unexpected." The continued upon releasing a shaky laugh. "He was the school's heartthrob; I was the most feared female in school because of my temper. I was the student body's president; he was almost all the club's representative. Our personalities clashed one another, and yet, we managed to become close to one another and become part of each other's life." She said while clutching her hand tightly, controlling her tears, ordering it not to fall.

"How did you two… uh… yeah?" The golden blond asked nervously, hoping he wasn't crossing his line.

Sakura then released another shaky laugh, eyes still closed. "I wasn't sure. It just happened." She answered, trying to remember how Sasuke courted her, if he did court her. But she was quite sure she did not confess her feelings first. With all those thought bothering her, she unconsciously faced the blond before continuing her sentence. "I think it was during the feast dance. I just forgot the date when it happened. Both of us missed it and decided to stay and watched the fireworks from the hill instead." She paused, as the imaged finally plastered in the screens on her brain, like a rolling reel in endless loop, with broken buttons to stop it, with—

"Sakura-chan." And suddenly, a voice stopped everything. Darkness was the only thing remained in her vision. "Sakura." The voice called once more. She took a deep breath, and gathered all his strength before releasing her breath, and opened her eyes, only to realize that her tears failed her, and continuously fell on her face.

"Na-Na-Naruto… Gomen ne—"

"It's alright." It wasn't the answer she was expecting, but she was grateful enough to have someone like him by her side; that he did not judge her, and was rather eager to listen to her. Sasuke was really lucky to have a friend like Naruto. She only wished she could be a great friend to the golden blond, like what he is right now. With lack of words to say, and tears endlessly fall on her face, she unconsciously hugged Naruto, who the latter one, hugged her back.

_It is too early to call it love, yet too deep to call it a crush. But why does it hurt so bad when I heard her pained laugh, especially when tears started streaming down her cheeks? She considers me as a friend, yet there is something in me that wished that our relationship would soon lead to somewhere. Why is it painful for me that she is crying because of my best friend? Why am I hurting deep inside that Sasuke met her first? Why am I jealous that Sakura loved him first? And what hurts me the most is that, I can still sense, that somewhere deep in her heart, she still loves him too. And by the way Sasuke acted before, is it possible that that bastard did love her too? Would I be just a nuisance in their relationship? Or would I be their bridge again? Why… why am I thinking about these things?_

With those thoughts in his head, he took a deep breath, leaned his head on top of the rosette's, and gathered all the pain in his heart; slowly, he exhaled the air he gathered, together with the ache he is currently feeling.

**_-End of Part 9-_**


	10. Because Shit Like This Always Happen

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 10**

**-Because Shit Like This Always Happen-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**Disclaimer part 2: **I do not own the song Distance by Long Shot Party.

**Disclaimer part 3**: I do not own the novel,_ 50 Shades of Gray_. It is owned by this author which name I forgot *straight face*

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

_**-Previously-**_

_I felt his chest rose as he took a deep breath. It was shaky, like he was gathering something inside his heart. And as I felt his warm breath brushing my hair, his chest gradually relaxed. He was releasing all the things he gathered inside, and it hurts me badly. Naruto is a nice young man and I know using him as a bridge to reach Sasuke is one bloody idea that my stupid brain keep on telling me to do. And my heart tells me that doing such things would only cause too much pain for me. Why do I keep reaching for Sasuke, when I know deep inside that I can never entrust my heart to that man again? And Naruto… Naruto's very trustworthy—no. I can never repeat the past. Doing such thing would make me no different from that bastard. And I'm not someone who uses people for their own happiness. But I would be lying to myself if I keep telling that I do not love him anymore. For deep inside this scared heart of mine, still longs for him._

* * *

"Thank you. Take care, Ino-san."

"Take care too, Naruko-san!" The pearlescent replied with a smile, while happily waving goodbye to the sunflower through the counter.

"You're rather cheerful today, Ino, and quite fond of Naruko, too," The brunette half-teased while peering through the serving window. "What happened to you?"

"Oh hush, Tenten." The pearlescent rolled her eyes together with her reply. "You know why."

"Ino, Sakura's a big girl." The brunette said with full sarcasm, earning her a glare from the pearlescent.

"I know. But for some reason, I like Naruto for her." The pearlescent replied with a meek smile.

"You just hate his sister?" The brunette pointed out, earning another glare from the pearlescent.

"No. I just don't like his sister." Ino corrected before cutting off her glare from the brunette and gazing momentarily at her phone.

"That's what I said!" The brunette wailed before turning off the range. She doesn't understand Ino's actions lately, particularly after the _'wrath of the blondes'_ event, which is still the talk of the town.

"There's a big difference between 'hate' and 'not like', Tenten." Ino corrected before facing the brunette, her lower back leaning on the counter. "I won't be that friendly to her if I hate her." She added.

"If you do not like her per se, it would also mean you hate her, Ino—"

"Whereas if I do not like her, I could still be her friend, though I cannot guarantee that I'd be close to her." Ino continued as if her companion did not say anything.

"So you're being a fake?"

"I was never a fake. You know that, Tenten." Ino replied sternly, causing the brunette to sigh heavily

"Yes." The brunette concurred, in a sarcastic way. "I know, Ino."

"Why are you giving me sarcastic responses?"

"I am not." And with her answer, Tenten received another glare from the pearlescent.

"Will you just tell me your plan, so that I could prevent you from shooting glares at me?" The brunette uttered in exasperation, making the pearlescent heave a sigh.

"I wanted Sasuke to stay out of forehead's life for her good. But with Naruko-san getting close – as in literally _close_ – to that fucking bastard, there's a higher possibility that Sasuke would be back to Sakura's life." Ino continued melancholic. "I… I don't want that to happen. I don't want Sakura to get hurt again."

"So you're watching over Naruto's sister to protect Sakura from said bastard?"

"Exactly." The pearlescent replied, gesturing both her hands in the air out of frustration. "I just don't understand why Sakura likes him so much." Ino said before turning around, and resting both her arms on top of the counter.

"The guy has good looks, can't blame the forehead for liking him." Tenten replied before joining the pearlescent on the counter.

"Yeah, he's perfect in almost all aspects, including the looks, but it's not convincing enough. The guy is a freaking bastard," Ino scoffed as she repeated the words she said in her head, rolling her eyes in irritation. "And never call Sakura _forehead_ again." She followed, giving Tenten another glare.

"When will you stop giving me glares? I'm not doing anything, sheesh!" And with that, the brunette bid farewell to the pearlescent and head to her class.

"Come back as soon as your class finished! And call Sakura would you?" She cried out just before the brunette closed the glass door. Ino also head out minutes after to go buy the ingredients they need for the pastries.

* * *

"You-son-of-your-mother-father, what the hell's wrong with you?!" The sunflower blonde cried furiously toward the back of the man in front of her, who seemed to stop in the middle of the aisle because of the passing old lady, causing the sunflower to have a collision with the man's back.

"You should be more cautious with your surroundings." The man dryly replied.

The sunflower's eyes widened in surprise because of the man's familiar voice. She stood there, frozen as the man slowly faced her, making her jaw drop few inches upon having a realization that the voice belong to none other than…

"Sasuke?!"

"Hn, glad you finally said my name correctly." The man uttered, with a smirk he cannot prevent from showing because of the sunflower's reaction.

"What are you doing here—"

"I was about to ask the same thing, Naruko." The man interrupted before helping her with the basket. "Are you alone?"

"Y-yeah." The sunflower stammered as they began to walk towards the counter.

"What are you doing here?" The raven asked as they lined up, with the sunflower on his side.

"Just buying some food for me and my brother's visitor." The sunflower replied coolly.

"Hn, aren't you going to buy some for your brother?"

"Nah, he could go by himself and buy his own food."

"You do know that there are people lurking around, hunting the two of you."

"And like I care?" The sunflower uttered with one brow raised as they move forward.

"Don't you value your safety, your life?"

"I do, very much." The sunflower replied confidently as the two finally reached the counter.

"Who's your brother's visitor? This person seems very important for you to buy that much food." The raven asked while helping the sunflower places the products in the counter.

"Oh, you mean Sakura?" Upon replying to the raven, the name mentioned by the sunflower ringed in the raven's ears that he couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.

"Sakura?" He echoed with passive expression.

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Never heard of her." The raven replied dryly.

Unlike her brother, Naruko cannot read Sasuke's expressions, which somewhat relaxes the raven, but what he's uneasy of is her ability so sense things. Fuck female intuition.

"If you say so." A singsong response from the sunflower, as he was expecting, he truly cannot hide anything from the Uzumaki twins.

_I knew it! They are close to one another, _Ino thought as she watched her two targets from afar. She knows that Sasuke and Naruto are good ol' pals, but she never thought it would go the same with his twin sister, despite the fact that no one knows about the golden blond having a twin sister. And the fact that Sakura's in their apartment right now. _Damn, does forehead even know? _She thought once more as she saw the two walked out of the market. She soon followed them, but was stopped by several staffs for she was still holding several unpaid product.

"Damn, not a good timing."She said to herself as she watched the two walk away, as she lined up in the counter to pay her groceries.

* * *

"What should we name it?" The golden blond asked, while staring at the creature before his eyes. The rosette gave no answer to the said blond, mainly because she was disturbed as to why said blond is acting like the two of them never had their 'talk' days ago. "Ne, watcha think?" He asked upon glancing at the rosette, who on the other hand cleared her throat.

"Er… why not Gray?"

"Hey, that sounds nice! Like 50 shades of Gray or something."

"You perv, of course not!" The rosette replied quickly, before smacking his head lightly with a pen. "It's the combination of its color, silly."

"Oh." The golden blond responded with a clumsy smile, while rubbing the spot where the pen hit.

They only have few days to do their thesis together because of the conflicts in their schedule, and have decided to meet every Wednesday in the library since she has morning class, and lucky for the blond, he doesn't have class that day. And they would work on the said blond's apartment during the weekends since, for some unknown reason, Naruto has to stay with his twin at home.

It's not really a big deal for Sakura. Though what bothers her the most is Naruto himself. Ever since their unexpected 'talk' about the bastard raven, he started acting more distant. Not in a way that he's avoiding her physically, but more like emotionally. He never talked about anything but their thesis since that day, and to think that she sees him as one of her trusted friend. Guilt is slowly twinging her heart – how would she let Naruto open up to her? Then she suddenly remembered the technique her father told her once to make Sasuke open up to her.

_"Share everything: your thoughts, your feelings, everything. You can tell him your deepest secrets if you want. And in no time, he would share things in equivalent amount of the things you've been sharing with him. It takes time, but it is worth it." _

_ I hope it works the same with Naruto… _She thought upon releasing her gaze from the stripped creature, and faced the golden blond beside her.

"Naruto?"

"What is it, Sakura?" He asked quite seriously.

_What would I say? _"I…"

"You…?"

"I…" _I'm sorry about our talk the other day. Let's start anew again._

"You…?"

"I…" _Damn, why can't I spit them out?_

"You…? You know, this ain't working out-ttebayo." Naruto replied while rubbing the tip of his nose, observing Sakura struggling with her thoughts.

"I… It's nothing." The rosette said with a smile before gazing back at the creature. "Yeah, nothing… I kind of forgot."

"Heh, you're not that forgetful. C'mon, tell me." The golden blond said cheerfully, lightly bumping the rosette's shoulder.

"You feel distant, that's all." Now that wasn't Naruto was expecting to hear.

"Eh?"

"You feel… How would I say this?" The rosette was running out of words to say. The fact that they're not yet close to one another, she's not quite sure if she's crossing the lines right now. "You seem far from my reach."

"But I'm right beside you."

"I know you baka!" She retorted before smacking his head, harder this time, with a pen, before hearing a laugh from said blond.

"Ne… Sakura-chan, was that necessary?" He asked, sneering while rubbing his head once more. He was kind of getting used to their _'smack-the-blond's-head-when-blond-said-something-wrong' _relationship.

"Yes. Yes it is." Was the rosette's stern reply to the still giggling blond next to her.

"Geez, now I know why tons of people fear you during your high school years…"

"Teme…" And another smack in the head was given that day. "Stop fooling around!"

"Aw—ttebayo! That was harder than the previous one, Sakura-chan."

_He's calling me 'Sakura-chan' again_. "Well, if you weren't acting stupid, it wouldn't get harder."

"But seriously, what's wrong?" Naruto asked sternly, shocking Sakura with his change of tone.

"I thought I told you why?" Sakura replied. "Let's see, where the heck did I place Gray's files." She uttered while pretending to search for some folders in her bag, trying to change the topic.

"Was it our talk last time?" He asked, before scooting closer to the rosette in the sofa.

"What talk?" The rosette asked, eyes still lingering inside her bag, searching for the files which happens to be really missing – irony at its best indeed.

"I know I've been acting different lately." _Damn should I tell her?_

"No shit, Naruto," she replied with a laugh. "Don't mind my thoughts, alright? It has nothing to do with our talk last time."

Naruto was reluctant to smile and let go of the topic at first, but realizing that it would be difficult to spit things out from the rosette, he let it go. It would also be best for the two of them, talking about their _talk_ would make them more awkward to each other's presence.

"Summer's approaching. You think we'd still be classmates next semester?" Naruto asked, with eyes locked on the innocent ones of Gray's.

"Our thesis would continue till next semester. Have you read the curriculum?" Sakura replied, aggravated for she cannot find the folders anywhere in her bag.

"Looking for this?"

Sakura then raised her head, only to see the folders she was searching in the hands of the golden blond.

"Found it under Gray's cage." Naruto replied while handing the folders to Sakura, earning him a thank you from the said rosette. "Are you stressed or something?"

"And why would you think of that?" And just when Naruto was asking her to open up, she brushed him off and closed her doors.

"Food's here." A voice coming from a sunflower blonde said. "Ooh… is that the skunk? I never thought it would be this cute—"

"Don't you dare touch it or it would—"

And to think that the sunflower would trigger the skunk to spray its vicious gas, Naruto was rather shocked to witness that the skunk somewhat likes the sunflower, allowing her to pet its head through the cage.

"It would what, Nii-chan?" Naruko mocked at her brother, before sticking her tongue out as she stood, and head to their room.

"Damn her…" Naruto growled under his breath. "Does she have dual personality or something?" He ranted before inclining on the backrest, not realizing that he's sitting on the edge of the sofa, causing him to fully lie down on the sofa, with posterior sitting on top of the newly vacuumed carpet, and both feet resting on the center table, missing only an inch from Gray's cage.

"So, Naruto…" The rosette uttered, as she tried to compose herself not to laugh. "How's _**that**_ for being childish?"

"_This _is not even in the subtopic of the word's meaning-ttebayo!" Naruto replied upon struggling to get up from the sofa.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, still here I guess," a gray-haired man said with a smile upon heading out of his room. "And Naruto, I never thought you wanted to be a gymnast." He stated as his gaze fell down on the golden blond, who was rather stretching himself out in the middle of the sofa and the center table, than pushing the table and freeing himself.

"I am not being a…" He growled, just before freeing himself by rolling off from the table. "…a gymnast!" He cried out in victor as he stood up with both hands up high in the air.

"What a wonderful performance indeed." The gray-haired man said while giving the said blond several hand claps. "You know that I would always support you, whatever path you choose." He finished in a good natured manner, before exiting himself to the situation, and head to the kitchen.

Naruto was about to chase his dear uncle to the kitchen when he remembered his visitor, sitting and laughing next to him because of his laughable act.

"Sakura-chan, would you like to stay in for dinner?" The gray-haired man asked as he peaked from the island counter.

"Oh no. It's—"

"She said she will." Naruto finished, earning him a nod from his uncle.

"What are you doing?" Sakura whispered as she pulled the golden blond's shirt.

"You should taste Kakashi-jii-chan's cooking. He rarely cooks, but I assure you it's the best."

"Oh, stop it you—"

"Shut up." Naruto yelled as he shot a short glare towards his uncle, and faced back at the rosette seconds after. "Let's go to the dining now?" Naruto replied with a smile, before leading the rosette to the said destination.

_Too much for dual personality…_ Sakura thought before sitting right next to Naruto.

"Naruko, dinner's ready!" Kakashi yelled from the kitchen before turning off the stove.

"That quick?" Naruko asked as she went out of the door and joined the two in the dining area.

"Here you go." Kakashi cheerfully said upon placing the hot bowl on the table.

And the crowds did not go wild – except for one – as the gray haired man opened the lid, exposing the ramen noodles, with failed attempts of flower-shaped fish cakes.

"So we're eating 'me' today!" The golden blond said cheerfully, doing the honours of serving himself first. "Itadakimasu!" He said before slurping the noodles with no mercy.

"Ugh, you disgust me to no end, brother." Naruko spat as she stared at Naruto with repulsion.

Sakura now understands what Naruto meant by good cooking.

"Ne, Sakura, I'll bring you home after, alright?"

"Brother, you really disgust me. Please swallow everything first before talking."

"Maa, maa… Now hush and let us be supportive of your brother's decisions."

"Eh?!" Naruto managed to utter before chocking himself from the noodles. "I meant walk her home, teme number one and two." He finished, huffing.

"Should have cleared that earlier." The gray-haired man replied.

"Well, if you guys were not assuming things, then I might have a chance to explain it."

"Nah… I bet you won't be able to clear things up if your sister and I did not react."

"Why you…" Naruto growled as he and his uncle battled in a staring contest, which was soon broken by sweet little Gray's gaseous self-defense.

"Ahhh! I'm starting to hate this creature already-ttebayo!" Naruto yelled as he and the rest of the company head to the balcony without second thoughts.

* * *

"You fucking gray-haired, why don't you die instead?"

"And now you want me killed? I am very disappointed in you, Naruto."

"Not you, perv-jiji, this fucking skunk-ttebayo!" Naruto wailed as he stood up and faced his uncle in the dining, with clenched fist raised in the air.

Kakashi then stared idly at the said creature while adjusting his mask (which he made sure he wore another one under it) as he approached. "Its fur… it is not gray."

"Well, its name is Gray."

"Oh, like 50 shades of gray?"

"You perv, of course not!" And a déjà vu happened that day.

"Ah… The combination of its color, I see."

"Can't you smell _**it?**_" Naruto asked as he watched his uncle pet the creature.

"Can't really smell anything with this mask." Kakashi said coolly before straightening up. "Aren't you going to your class? It's Monday."

"My professor will be late today."

"And why is that?" Kakashi asked, staring curiously at his nephew's blue eyes who seemed to be looking back at him.

And it took Naruto exactly five minutes to realize that Kakashi is not his English teacher anymore.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier-ttebayo." Naruto yelled while wearing his socks in the living room. Kakashi on the other hand, is trying hard to compose himself not to laugh in the kitchen while washing the dishes.

"Look, Naruto. It's not my fault anymore that you forgot your schedule."

Naruto just grunted in reply. And head to the door, making sure he snatched his bag on the sofa, and banged the door shut, hoping that his ero-sennin would consider his lateness.

"Kashi-jii-san…" Another voice called. "Aren't you going soon?"

"Oh, Naruko, you're awake." Kakashi said as he peaked from the island counter to check on the sunflower. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"A pancake." She replied sleepily, earning her a nod from the gray-haired man.

"Don't have any class every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays."

"Same as perv-jiji's class days." Naruko said once more as she pet the skunk in the center table. "It's the skunk's third day here. I thought my dear brother's supposed to take it with him for daily observation?" She asked curiously as she smelled the wonderful aroma of the pancake.

"His pink-haired friend said they'll observe their night time habits first since skunks are usually inactive at daytime." Kakashi said before turning of the stove. "Breakfast's served." He cheerfully said as he headed to the dining area and placed down the plate. "Anything else, my dear niece?"

"Why aren't you this nice to nii-chan?" Naruko asked as she joined her uncle in the dining.

"Hm… I am nice to him." He said with a smile. "But in a different way."

"I see…" Naruko muttered before eating a slice of pancake. "I met Sasuke-nii-san the other day again." She continued after swallowing.

Kakashi then sat down opposite to her and asked, "Any news from him?"

"Nothing. It's like no one's hunting him down." She finished before eating another slice. "Why do I have to do this? Isn't it dangerous?" She asked curiously as she raised her head, but she failed to meet her uncle's gaze, who was scanning the newspaper.

"Your godfather stopped giving me details regarding Orochimaru's chase to the two of you." He said, eyes still locked on the newspaper.

His words alone and his gesture was enough for Naruko to realize that he is deeply worried for their safety. But she thought her godfather and uncle are working on this together. If her uncle was not the one who's helping her godfather, then who is his so-called spy he kept referring to as his main source? She and her brother are involved in this situation, yet even their own uncle doesn't know what's happening around them. It sickens her, knowing that she cannot go safely outside of their house, without knowing where trouble is. And a single wrong move would lead to their death. Nothing. Nothing is safe in their village anymore. And that's the only knowledge she has.

"I'm not really hungry anymore, jii-san." Naruko uttered as her gaze fall on her lap. Kakashi nodded and took the plate away from the sunflower.

"I'll put this in the fridge. Just heat it up when your appetite's back." Kakashi replied with a smile before heading to the refrigerator. Naruko nodded n reply and head to their room – the only place she knows where she'll be safe.

_I'm sorry, Naruko. I'm sorry I'm incapable of giving you your safety, _Kakashi thought to himself as he leaned on the refrigerator, and lowered down the two masks he was wearing. It was suffocating him. He wanted to do more. And he knows he can do more, but for some reasons, the white haired stopped giving him information about the enemy. Kakashi trusts Jiraiya, but he sometimes doubt if he really cares for the twins' safety. After all, Orochimaru was once Jiraiya's best friend, and the closest friend Jiraiya has, aside from Tsunade. Trust… It is hard to earn, but there is nothing Kakashi could do but trust the older man, and follow the orders he gave to him.

"You're lucky, Gray." He muttered as if the skunk could hear and understand him, thinking how peaceful the skunk's life is right now, sleeping in a well-vented, and clean cage.

* * *

The view outside the window was envious. Naruto find it quite ironic that their surrounding is always peaceful and full of life, while his world is slowly shattering, and full of threats. If only he could just die and—

_Ring… ring…_

"No phones, please." Jiraiya said with his deep voice, with his hand still writing on the board.

Naruto was about to shut his phone when he saw the rosette's name in the flickering light of the screen.

"Hello?" He whispered through the phone, with his hand hiding the phone to his right ear while facing the window.

"_Are you in class?"_

"No… I'm not. You?"

"_I'm at home, on the way at the university. Where are you?"_

"At the library."

"_I see. Why don't you go outside so I could hear you louder."_

"It's alright. You can still hear me-ttebayo." Naruto can't help but smile. It was the first time Sakura called him, who wouldn't right? He could deal with his godfather later.

Jiraiya ignored the golden blond. He needs to have his _'happy moment' _once in a while. Being in his situation after all, is truly hard. And seeing his godson smile like that brightened his mood. He could deal with him later.

"_How's Gray?"_

"Heh, he's doing fine, mommy—"

"_Baka, don't call me that." _He heard her laugh from the other line.

"Heh, sorry." He muttered.

A short silence dawned between them, before Sakura managed to talk from the other line.

"_Sorry."_

"Eh?! For what?"

"Uzumaki-san, please lower down your tone." The English teacher yelled. For he was indeed getting loud, but he didn't make any gestures that he knows that Naruto was talking to someone on the phone.

"_You're in class!"_

"Kinda—"

"_Why didn't you tell me?!"_

"Because…" _C'mon, think brain, think… think of an excuse… _"…because…"  
_"I'll call you later, alright. You listen to your professor."_

"But it's more fun listening to you." He replied before hearing a 'toot' sound. He checked his phone and noticed that Sakura ended the call. _Looks like I'm stuck here for good, h_e thought as he glanced at Sasuke by instinct, who on the other hand, seemed to be looking back at him. In shock, he immediately faced front and watched his godfather scribble some notes while blabbering some things at the same time. _Why is Sasuke looking? Does he know? I mean, he's just few seats away from me. _He then shook those thoughts and decided to listen to Jiraiya instead. After all, Sakura did tell him to listen to his professor. It was just a coincidence. Just a coincidence.

* * *

_"Sorry for leaving soon the other day, after Gray's incident."_

"Heh, it's alright. I understand."

_"Thank you. Where are you now?"_

"On my way there to the science building. You?"

_"Same. Do you think we're late again?"_

"Nah. Who cares?" _My uncle, my godfather… oh~ And Tsunade-obaa-chan. Yeah, they care far too much._

_ "Alright then, see you in class."_

"See you there-ttebayo!" And they both hung up. Naruto can sense that this day would be a special day, for some reasons he cannot understand. But Sakura called him twice this day, so it must be a special day today. Or something special will happen. Either way, Naruto can't wait to see and talk to the rosette. She must be his lucky charm. Or maybe the clip that he always kept in his pocket. Should he give it back to her? Nah. Now that he knows about her relationship with Sasuke, it would hurt her badly if she caught glimpse of the clip. And besides, it belongs to him now, the fact that he was the one who found it in the beach.

As he was walking, he passed by the very same peaceful park where he could still remember when he first saw her crying behind the tree because of her father's death. She's a strong person. She managed to move on from it in just few days, while it took him forever to accept the death of his parents. But his case was different. Both his parents were killed. And now his life is next on his parent's killer's bingo book. How can he escape death?

No, he's not dealing with reaper himself. He's just dealing with some guy named _**Orochichi**_. And he would never let that man take a single strand of his hair, and his sister's. And as long his uncle, godfather, and Tsunade-obaa-chan got their back, the two of them will be safe. So Sakura is safe with him too, right? Right. No more holding back, but no rushing. He can still clearly remember what Shikamaru and Kiba told him about being too fast with girls. He sure does miss hanging out with the boys. Guilt is slowly consuming him as he remembered himself ignoring all his friends during English class. The teme was a given to be ignored, but the rest of the gang doesn't deserve such treatment.

"Ah. Uzumaki Naruto-san, you're early for once!" Iruka said cheerfully as the golden blond entered the room and took his seat. Minutes after, Sakura arrived with the same treatment from Iruka. Naruto kind of admit that it was their first time to arrive on-time. It is a good day today.

As usual, they had another boring discussion from their Iruka-sensei. Though unlike before, they had an early dismissal. Naruto and Sakura then decided to go to the library to finish the Review of Related Literature of their thesis. They had their quick lunch before at the stalls in the park, and head to the library after. They stayed there for almost four hours and were able to finish half of it – a good process indeed – looks like someone's inspired today. Really, really inspired…

"Next week is our final examination week. Good thing all of my professors gave our examination in advance." Sakura uttered as they walk out of the library.

Naruto then mentally slapped himself for being able to forget about exams. "Geez… you're lucky. All my exams are next week."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the golden blond. He is childish, and pretty dumb, but has a very intelligent brain that he refuses to use unless he wants to.

"Hey, want me to take care of Gray till next week?" She offered while watching the problematic blond with his hushed monologues.

"Eh?! But that would be two weeks."

"Yep. And our summer vacation is two weeks."

"Nice gamble."

"No, no. It's not about the vacation," Sakura said as she flailed her hands in the mid-air upon noticing the misunderstanding between them. "I'll take care of him so you can focus on your exams. I bet most of them require deep understanding and memorization." She explained.

"Well… kind of." He shyly concurred. "Is it alright with you-ttebayo?"

Sakura then smiled at him and replied. "Of course, Naruto, it's alright with me."

"Yosh! I'll bring Gray tomorrow—"

"It's okay, I'll take him today." Sakura interrupted with a smile.

"Wait, Gray's a boy?"

"Yes." The rosette replied, trying her best not to laugh at the golden blond's obliviousness.

"I see… Let's go to our house then?" Naruto asked, earning him a nod from the rosette as her reply.

He was rather glad that the skunk would be away for two weeks, hopefully by those weeks, he would smell nice, and maybe be nicer to people, especially him. And he was even happier that Sakura accepted his offer once more and had dinner in their apartment. The skunk didn't fart this time. But the food was still ramen, cooked by Naruko this time. And their other company was not the gray-haired man, but the white-haired, who seemed to be teasing the golden blond a lot whenever he caught glimpse of the said blond looking at the rosette while eating. And what made the night even more wonderful is that Sakura accepted his offer once more in walking her to her apartment again. And there he discovered that he was living with Ino, who seemed to be teasing Sakura this time to the golden blond.

"Are you sure you'll be alright walking home by yourself?" The rosette asked thoughtfully, while composing her temper upon hearing the pearlescent offered Naruto to stay at in at their apartment for the night.

"I'll be alright-ttebayo!" Naruto replied as he did the nice-guy pose.

"Alright. Call me right away when you get home, okay?"

"Yes I will dattebayo!" He loudly replied with a wide green, comforting the rosette. And with that, they waved goodbye to each other, and Sakura watched him walked away, until his silhouette was gone in the dark.

"Heh, Sakura, you're kind to him today." The pearlescent, who was sitting on the sofa, teased as the rosette joined him and opened the television.

"I'm always kind to him."

"You're kinder to him today." The pearlescent rephrased, but received no reaction from the rosette.

"I don't know. His personality is just too hard to resist. He's very kind. And his smiles always melt my heart." She said, and gradually faced the pearlescent before asking her a question. "Don't you feel the same?"

"I do." The pearlescent concurred, earning her a smile from the rosette. "He has a way with befriending people, and making them feel at ease with him in a snap." Ino then stretched both her hands upwards before leaning back at the backrest. "I just hope he's not like someone."

By Ino's tone, Sakura knew who that person is. And she doesn't want to argue about it with her best friend, knowing that it would be difficult to win that argument.

* * *

"You're my friend, aah~ ano hi no yume Ima de mo, mada… I forgot the re~st…" Naruto sang while walking down the dark streets. It's not usually dark during this time. But because of some electrical issue, the government informed that there would be shortage of lit streetlights in the streets till they fixed the wirings.

Naruto used to be scared of the dark when he was a kid. He used to think that bad creatures would jump out of the darkest corner and drag him to the wall. From there, he will be eaten alive by said creature. His fear disappeared when he went to the city of Sunagakure with his uncle. It is a wonderful province, very peaceful too.

The fear is now coming back, as he heard footsteps behind him. He refused to look back, mainly because he was afraid that his imagination would turn out to be true.

"You are my dream, aah~ hajimatta bakka…" he continued to lessen his fear, but it did not. He then halted and stood straight for few seconds. But when the footsteps got louder, he took a deep breath and ran as fast as he can, not minding which road he turned to.

And yes, it was stupid of him not to mind where he was going. For it only caused him to bump very hard on something… someone…

"Ouch! Watch where you going you motherfu—Sasuke?" He muttered in surprise as he sat up from the gravelled ground and saw the raven parallel to him, also rubbing his temple, where their skull seemed to meet one another's. And without second thoughts, he stood up and grabbed the raven's wrist, and ran again.

"Na-Na-Na-Usuratonkachi, what the heck are you doing, and where the heck are you taking me—"

"They're chasing me." He cried back to the confused raven. "If I leave you there they might take you instead."

"Like they—"

"We both know they're also after you. Just so happen they wanted to get rid of us first." Naruto sternly replied as they made a turn to what Naruto thought is another road, and not a dead-end.

"Yeah, Naruto, should have left me there and made me run away from the man by myself." The raven rebuked as he shot a deathly glare at the golden blond.

"We could just walk back again and go straight—"

"Go straight where?" A slim man asked as he stood and blocked the opening of the dead-end, entrapping the two college students.

"Make a step, and I'll give you a black-eye." The raven threatened, but as the slim man walked few steps forward. It turned out that he was rather a six-footer man with a well-built body, and several blue strands of hair were visible in his full-face mask.

"So you know how to threat, Uchiha boy. But I have no business with you," the man said confidently. "I just want Uzumaki Naruto to come with me."

"But I am Uzumaki Naruto." The raven replied angrily, causing the man to release another laugh, and earning him a shocked look from Naruto.

"Yeah, Uchiha boy, I know you crave for attention. Now come here, Uzumaki boy." The man said and he unbuttoned his coat and revealed his silver pistol. But before the man could pull his pistol, the raven immediately pounced at him and gave him several punches.

"Naruto, leave!" Was the raven's order, but the blond's body refused to move; everything was too fast for him. He can't even believe they were under attacked by someone who wanted to kill him, for real.

"Na-Naruto!" The raven called out once more, before the man shove him off away from him, and literally threw him to the wall by the trash bins.

The man stood up once more and grabbed his pistol from his pocket, but before he knew it, he was tugging the pistol with his target.

"Never hurt my friend!" Naruto growled angrily as he successfully grabbed the pistol from the man just before the said man pushed him away, allowing him to roll on the ground. But who cares? He got the pistol now. Everything will be alright. Or will it?

As Naruto slowly stood up to threat the man, the said man was standing up as well. But in his hand was not another pistol, but an ice pick. And no, the man was not aiming for Naruto, but it was aiming to the raven, who seemed to be dangling by his right foot.

"Put down the pistol, or I'll make sure this Uchiha boy will never walk again." The man threatened as he made a small cut on the raven's ankle. The pistol was readily aimed at the man's head. Naruto was kind of proud at the moment for what he learned from video games is now showing. Though unlike in video games, you know that the enemies are not living humans, and you have three lives before the game literally ends. In reality, you, and the people around you only have a single life, and your enemy is a breathing human being.

"Naruto, whatever you do, don't listen to this asshole!"

Sasuke was never a man of profanities. He rarely say vulgar words, he only say such words if he's dead serious, terrified, or really angry. So this means that Naruto's in deep shit and needs to make the right move to save his life, and the raven's.

"Drop the pistol, Naruto-kun." The man said in a singsong voice as he held the raven high by his ankle, putting pressure to the cut to make the raven groan in pain.

"Naruto, just shoot the god-damned thing and make this asshole—ahh!" The raven screamed as the man hardened his grip on his ankle, and swinging him to make him dizzy.

It was easier said than done. He wanted to pull the trigger, but he couldn't. He wanted to save Sasuke, but he cannot. Naruto is shaking, and the man is pleased with his view. The man is now raising his other hand and preparing to stab the raven's legs.

_Pull the trigger now, stupid hand, _Naruto kept telling himself, but he just stood there, with heart beating loudly, and hands shaking uncontrollably. _Pull it before Sasuke get in trouble. Pull it now, no one would see you… Just pull the goddamned trigger!_

_**BANG!**_

Naruto knelt, as he saw blood draw out from Sasuke's nose, as the man released him from his grip, allowing Sasuke to land on his face unexpectedly. There were also blood dripping from the man's forehead, and some parts of his cheeks. Naruto looked down and notice some splatter of blood on his orange shirt. He was only few feet away from the two of them, so it is possible. But what disturbed him the most was the strip of blood on the gravel floor. It makes him sick, it makes him fear blood, and it makes him fear death.

"_What happened-ttebayo?"_

**_-End of Part 10-_**

* * *

**A/N: **:)_  
_


	11. Rumor Has It

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 11**

**-Rumor Has It-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

**A/N: **Hey there, folks! I'm really sorry for the delay. Had to finish school things first. Yes, education is very important ya know :)))  
Anyway, past is past, and part 11 is here. Super thanks to my readers, followers, and alert-ers, you guys are _**the best!**_Enjoy reading!

* * *

"You're earlier than usual." The white-haired man asked as he pushed his self away from the wall adjacent to the door. The spy just sighed as he headed to the living room with the older man on his tail. "It takes time to head to your _hidden_ haven. You must have left the building earlier."

"I decided to finished all my works here than in my office." The spy calmly replied upon opening his laptop on the table, taking the scene as cool and serious as possible. Not until he opened some suspicious document file in the desktop, and exposed explicit scenes, instigating him to shot several profanities under his breath while trying to stop the pictures from popping out in his screen. But he failed, and remained calm on the outside as he watched the pictures continuously open, until his laptop completely died.

"Any problems, my lad?" the white-haired man asked upon sitting at the opposite sofa.

"And what did I particularly do to deserve this?" The spy asked, as calmly as he can, trying to put in to mind that he respects this person.

"What did you do? Particularly?" The white-haired man echoed, making him slam his clenched fist on the wooden table between them. "Have you been dammed or something? What the fuck are you asking?!" The white-haired man retorted, with deep frown engraved in his forehead

"Jeez, why can't you answer my question for once before raising your voice?" The spy asked while scratching his head. "And for once you never let me explain my side." He added, voice gradually rising. "And for once, _for once!_ You never allowed me to express my answer."

"Your sentences are the same." The white-haired man corrected with his normal voice.

"Exactly!"

"God damned you—"

"What was your question again?"

"Fuck you."

"C'mon, Jiraiya-sama." The spy pleaded, earning him a deep sigh from the white-haired man as he made himself comfortable in the sofa.

"Impress me with your answer, as to why one of the Akatsuki's spies almost endangered my godson," Jiraiya uttered before raising his index finger in the mid-air. "Let me rephrase it—_almost_ killed my nephew, there much better."

"No one actually reported such plan to me—"

"Fuck you, I said impress me!"

"Will you let me finish you old fag?" The spy retorted. The white-haired man tried to compose himself as he rested his back once more in the backrest.

"No one informed the plan to me till the minute before I left the building," the spy answered, causing Jiraiya to lean forward, with both arms rested on his lap. "Orochimaru called me in before I reached the lobby, and informed me about sending one of his trusted spies to finish the art duo's job." The spy explained, before releasing a weak laugh. "Funny thing is that, he was never this impatient before."

"Trust me; he was never patient to begin with," Jiraiya added with a smile upon leaning back. "It seems like you don't bond that much with your leader."

"Trust me, it was the first time I saw him."

"Don't play with me."

"It's true!" The spy answered while flailing his hand. "He only talks to us through phone."

"I see," Jiraiya replied as he nodded. "But tell me, why do you call that tomato head man and the girl-looking teenage boy _The Art Duo?_" Jiraiya asked, preventing not to laugh at his description.

"Beats me. But I do know the tomato head you're talking about loves making wooden puppet, and the blondie's good at creating sculptures." _Magnificent sculptures that he soon throws in the air upon finishing it, _he thought upon finishing his statement.

"I see…" The white-haired man then grabbed his coat from the rack. "I remember, I should be heading elsewhere."

"Where may that be?" The spy asked, earning him a laugh from the older man.

"Yahiko, you never changed." The older man finished before leaving.

"Hn, never changed indeed. Might at least pay for my laptop's damage, all my files are here." He said aloud as he tried to open his laptop. He then echoed his words in his head. "Fuck." He muttered upon realising that the white-haired man must have gotten a copy of his files. Not that he mind though, he was actually thankful, for he could just get a copy from the older man and buy a new laptop. Or maybe let him buy him a new laptop as his payment for being his spy.

Yahiko never thought he'd be on Jiraiya's side to begin with. Together with his childhood friend, Konan, they both decided to join the Akatsuki and earn fast money. But upon hearing Uzumaki Nagato's death, he started doubting Orochimaru. And he was rather happy to bump at his mentor, for months after, he found out that it was Orochimaru who ordered to kill his dear friend. He cannot fully understand Orochimaru's wrath for the Uzumaki, Namikaze, Uchiha, and Hyuuga, he only knows that those clans were hindering Orochimaru's success.

* * *

_**Naruto's Point of View**_

* * *

_A month had passed since that incident but it felt like days. The smell of blood was still fresh in me. I can still visualize the scene clearly in my head. It was dreadful, mortifying, and horrible. It even followed me at sleep. It made me want to puke everything inside me, and remove my stomach for good. And as I walked at these hallways, all I can see were eyes. Judging eyes, hating eyes, cursing eyes, scared eyes – I am the talk of the town – and those eyes tell no message, and only believed at what they hear. _

_ Rumours existed because simply, no man can ever hold back himself from sharing what he saw, and sure it is very tempting to add some little touch in it, like altering the whole story. And now everyone saw me as a bad person – the person who placed Uchiha Sasuke in danger. Fuck the rumours __*bitches*__. I would never do such a thing. But I have no proof… proof to make them believe that I didn't kill that man intentionally, I tried to save Sasuke, really. And these eyes, staring at me, only reminded me of death. And it scared me to no end… It made me want to meet reaper himself, and sell my soul out to him, and die for good, quick and not painful. I want to disappear. But I can't just leave my sister all alone, and all the people I care for…_

"Yo foxy! In here!" _a voice called out,_ _but I ignored it. I remained my gaze on the ground, walking straight ahead to my room. _"Foxy! What the fu—" _And the hand grabbed me, and took me somewhere. I was too weak to resist. So I allowed that man, with a name of Kiba, to drag me to some room. And to my surprise, everyone was there inside the room; all my friends are there, except for the raven. That was expected._

"Naruto, we heard what happened. And we're all here to help you." _Kiba said thoughtfully, but I don't give a fuck to what he said. I should drive them all away to prevent my previous mistake to happen again. That would kill myself if their lives will be put in danger because of me in danger because of me._

"I agree with Kiba." _Shikamaru uttered, who was sitting next to his girlfriend. So he finally introduced Temari to them. I'm happy for the two of them, but I'm just too sick right now._

"Oi, Naruto. Can you even hear us?" _Shikamaru asked, but I refused to answer, why should I? Kiba then shook me, but I gave no response. _

"I think I know how to wake that blondie." _Temari said confidently. I looked up this time and saw her smirking at me. She then stood up and ushered the boys somewhere. And as everyone was about to close the doors of the room, Kiba headed back and towed me out._

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" _A voice cried out from nowhere as I saw a red and white checkered mat that was placed down on the grass in the park. Bowls scattered on the mat, and we took our respective place. And as to the voice a while ago, it belonged to none other than Naruko. I never thought she'd be here, but I'm glad. Kiba soon came with his pup that seemed to grow taller. He also brought his guitar and serenaded us with our little picnic. So this was their plan on cheering me up. Skippin' ero-sennin's class and have a morning picnic in the central park of Konoha city. Not too shabby indeed, and I'm really happy they did this. Chouji soon left with Kiba to pick up some things, or someone, I wasn't really paying attention-ttebayo. But I was left alone with Temari, my sister, and Shikamaru. We remained quiet until Chouji and Kiba went back with Neji and Hinata on their tow. _

"I'm not used to cutting class. But I guess I have a good reason to do so." _Neji said before joining us on the mat. Everyone settled down on the mat, like we're going to have a meeting for some school project. We're all wearing our uniform since it is the first day of second semester, so people would really think we're doing something for school project. I remained my gaze on my still full bowl of ramen. I'm afraid to see those eyes that seemed to be scrutinizing me._

"Naruto, snap the hell out of it! Can't you see that your behaviour is also affecting us?" _a familiar voice cried out, and everyone fell silent. I looked up and saw my sister huffing with anger. So they were talking to me the whole time while I was… talking to myself? My sister's look shot a pang to my heart. I then heard several gasps as I kneeled up and pulled my sister to a hug, clumsily avoiding the big bowl between us._

"I'm sorry, Naruko." _I uttered… It's all I could do to cheer her, and everyone up. To let them know I'm somewhat fine. But I really want to be alone for a while._

"Please don't shove us away, nii-san… Don't." _She lightly sobbed in my shoulder, burying her face in my uniform. And it made me realize she was also wearing a uniform, and by its color, I assumed Temari lent her one for disguise. I allowed my head to fall on top of Naruko's shoulder and hide my crying face. It might ruin the scene if they see it, it's kind of… funny to look at._

"W-w-w-we'll all be here for you, Naruto-kun."

"Fucking hell yeah, Hinata! I agree with her!"

"Kiba, I think your arm's too heavy for Hinata-sama. But I do agree with her. We're all here for you."

"We'll never leave your side, Naruto. Right, Shikamaru?"

"Mendokuse… But yes, we're on your side forever."

"I agree to all of them, Naruto. Don't be down now, okay?"

_Everything was dramatically perfect, when a very familiar voice that does not belong to the group exclaimed something,_ "My youthful blond friend, forevermore I'll be your blue-beast friend that will protect and stay at your side!"

"Lee?!" _Everyone shouted in unison. And I kind of agree, their expressions were epic, I just couldn't help but laugh._

"Eh, nii-chan, you're laughing!" _Naruko exclaimed, we're still hugging each other, particularly because if one of us let go, the other would fall on the bowl._

"Lee, when did you arrive?" _I heard Neji asked. I almost forgot, they were on the same batch, and the two of them are quite inseparable friends, like what Sasuke and I used to be._

"Neji, my friend. You were late! I arrived months ago. Where have you been with your youthfulness?"

"I was busy with stuff, but I'm glad you're still the same you."

"Ah… Still youthfully formal as ever, Neji, and with that, I should go."

"Too soon?" _It kind of made me want to say 'aww' to the two. Their friendship is so touching-ttebayo!_

"I have to meet with Gai-sensei in few minutes. And I believe I might be late if I stay longer."

"I see. Very well, you take care. And say hi to Gai-san for me."

"Yosh! Will do, my youthful friend." _Lee replied, and I can imagine him saying it with the nice-guy pose. After all, he was the origin of that pose… or was it his uncle?_

"Oh, and please greet the ever-youthful and beautiful, Tenten."

"She's here too?" _Neji asked. Tenten… hmm… isn't that Sakura's friend at the café? Do Lee and Neji knew the two of them?_

"Tenten? I know her." _Temari said. So I was correct! Hmm… I sure did miss a lot when I was gone._

"She's also here?"

"Neji, my friend, you really are not updated with stuffs. But even though I wanted to explain everything to you first hand, I really must go. Adios amigos!" _And with that, Lee left. Naruko and I finally broke into that long hug and both of us managed to sit on the mat. That's talent!_

"I really had a wonderful time with you guys…" _I solemnly said with a smile. "But I wanted to be alone for a while."_

"Alright, nii-chan. Just don't wander off too far."

_I nodded in reply. And everyone packed everything up before we head back to the university. All our first class ended and everyone was heading to their next one. As for me, I still have the same schedule: English and Science on Monday mornings, two major subjects the whole day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and no classes every Wednesday. Oh and I have P.E. class every Tuesday morning, then Math and History on Fridays. The only change in my schedule is that I have Saturday classes this time, major subjects again, but only in the morning._

_I decided to skip my science class and rest in the park the whole day, till Kakashi-jii-chan's class ended. After the incident, Naruko and I were not allowed to wander around by ourselves, Kakashi-jii-chan or Jiraiya-jiji should be accompanying us. And during school days, I was ordered to head home immediately with uncle perv after his class, or my class, as long as we go home together. Jeez, all they need to do now is to hire a bodyguard to watch over me. I feel caged… and I hated seeing eyes. Eyes that pities me, eyes that fears me, eyes that hates me, eyes that loathes me, fuck all those eyes! I… I am a human being, I am not a skunk, or some creature! And I must say, I missed seeing Gray's cuteness. What the fuck? _

"Naruto?" _Another familiar voice, I opened one of my eyes and peered from my arm that was slightly obscuring my vision. And the first thing I noticed was the person's pink hair. I wanted to talk to her. But I guess I have nothing to say to her, so I ignored her instead. Not very long, I felt her arm brushed to mine, and soon I realized she was lying next to me._

"Old people said that the morning sun's healthy for our skin."

"Why are you here-ttebayo?" _I seriously asked. As much as I wanted her to be here with me, I really wanted to clear my mind and be alone for a while._

"I noticed that you didn't come to class. And Iruka-sensei said that he has a meeting to attend to, so he just gave each pair an assignment and left us."

"I see." _I replied, but I showed no sign of interest in continuing our conversation. _

"We were asked to illustrate our experimental stage in our thesis. We're going to do it next two weeks inside the class since he would be participating in the science fair next week. But Iruka-sensei wanted us to start as early as now with our experiments. And—"

"Can't you see I wanted to be alone?!" _I snapped. But I didn't mean to. I'm just tired, and I wanted to be alone for a while. I was expecting her to pity me, but no. She smacked my head instead with a very thick book. _"Aw! Nandattebayo?!"

"This is the book that we need for our thesis." _She said as she reached out the book to me. I gently took it from her while rubbing my temple. It was unexpected, but I guess with all this thoughts, I kind of forget that she loves smacking me. I then sat up and leaned on the tree next to her instead. I didn't even notice that she sat up._

"Thank you." _I uttered with a smile, but she looked down and avoided my gaze. _"Just ask me." _I said, as I realized what was bothering her._

"Naruto, I—"

"It's alright-ttebayo!" _I said loudly with a nice-guy pose. I wanted to make sure I was right with her thought. And I wanted to clarify it – at least one person would know the truth. And maybe, just maybe, it would lessen my burden._

"Na-Naruto, did you uh… did you…"

"Yeah…" _I said without hesitation._ "I did kill he man. Heh, but it is easier said than done."

"Wh—wha… What do you mean?" _She asked curiously. Our voices toned down as we closely get to the real story, but why? I wanted to hear the world the truth! I hated these accusations they're pointing at me. _"Those rumours were not true?" _She asked once more. And as I was about to tell her the truth, I found out I can't. It was too sensitive to just give it away with one blow. I'm not over it yet. But I want closure…_

"It is really up to you if you want to believe the rumours or not," _I said after the silence dawned between us._ "All I know is that those rumours were just someone's opinion; someone that doesn't give a damn about the real story behind it. And me? I'll just let it be. Why the heck would I defend myself from such obvious lies?" _I ended, literally ended as I lied down once more on the grass and rested one arm on top of my eyes to block the sunlight._

"I don't even know why you're still here."

"Because…" _I heard her gently spoke, as her hand gently took of the arm I used to block the light, and held my hand. I opened my eyes and saw her smiling – the very same smile that I always wanted to see. The very same smile I fell in love with. _"Because I'll always be here for you." _She finished. I then gently rose once more and leaned on the tree, only to realize that it was the same tree where I found her crying one night. I gathered all my courage as I scooted next to her. I am now ready to tell her. Wow, that fast?_

"Here's what happened…"

* * *

_**A Month Ago**_

* * *

"Naruto, whatever you do, don't listen to this asshole!"

_Sasuke was never a man of profanities. Fuck, so this means I'm in deep shit!_

"Drop the pistol, Naruto-kun." _The man said in a singing voice as he held Sasuke high by his ankle, putting pressure to the cut to make the raven groan in pain. Fuck, his voice's creepy as hell._

"Naruto, just shoot the goddamned thing and make this asshole—ahh!" _Oh fuck… He… did he just throw Sasuke?! He's… he's… he's strong…_

_Pull the trigger now, stupid hand.._. _Pull it before Sasuke gets in trouble. Pull it now; no one would see you… Just pull the goddamned trigger!_

_**BANG!**_

_The first thing I saw was Sasuke, falling on the ground face first. He didn't move for a few seconds till he noticed me kneeling. The second thing I noticed was the blood on his nose while he was talking to me. He was ordering me to run, but I cannot move. The third thing I saw was the man's face. I was thankful that the man was wearing a mask. It was dreadful, period. The worst part is he fell on top of Sasuke. Sasuke then pushed him off and ran towards me._

"Naruto, snap out of it, let's go." _He ordered as he shook me off. I nodded in reply. But as we stood up, I saw Sasuke glanced at the wall behind us, I followed his gaze and saw someone peering from one of the building's window above. He hid his head seconds after I looked up. Then both our eyes fell on the shining bullet inserted on the wall. It means that I wasn't the one who shot it._

"Foolish little brother. Sacrificing yourself for Naruto-kun? How touching." _Sasuke and I both looked around and saw the man behind the big man's death._

"Nii-san?!" _Sasuke exclaimed. And we both approached his brother who was placing his gun inside the case, and tucked it in inside his bag. He soon took the gun I was holding and removed the bullet case, and wrapped them separately with his handkerchief, and mine (he asked me if I have one, so I gave it to him) and placed it in his bag._

"Get in the car; I'll follow after getting some things in this man." _Itachi said. And the two of us abided, with Sasuke leading the way._

"Hoshigaki Kisame, I never thought we'd meet again. I was expecting a more, formal reunion." _I heard Itachi whispered as I passed by him. We waited for him inside the car, and saw him came back with some folders, and the man's entire weapon, and hid it at the trunk of his car._

"Who's inside your apartment?" _Itachi asked as he started the engine._

"My sister and uncle."

"Is Jiraiya-sama home?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hey, what's going on?" _Sasuke interrupted, but neither me nor Itachi answered him, resulting him to look away and remained his gaze outside the window._

_The whole trip was quiet. No one dared to talk to each other. And as we drew near our apartment, all I could feel was fear. What would I tell them? I was alright when I left, and now I'm all bloody and the worst thing is, the Uchiha brothers were the ones taking me home and not the police. _

* * *

"I see. Thank you, Itachi-san." _Uncle said as he and Itachi talked in the living room, together with my godfather. Naruko, Sasuke, and I were in the dining, eating shrimps and mixed vegetables._

_Itachi did all the talking while Kakashi-jii-chan and Jiraiya-jiji eagerly listened to him. Kakashi-jii-chan casually replied, mostly 'yes' and 'I see'. Perv-jiji was quiet the whole time, his mind were somewhere else._

_After exchanging of 'thank you', Itachi left with Sasuke. The last thing I heard was Sasuke would be leaving the orphanage and would be staying with Itachi. Naruko and I were ordered to go to our room by Jiraiya-jiji minutes after the Uchiha brothers left. And as we both entered our room, we both leaned on the door, in hope to hear what the two older men would talk about. _

_It was quiet for few minutes, till we both heard several crashes of glass._

"_No more secrets this time, Jiraiya-sama." _

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I don't know what your reason is, but with all due respect please tell me what's going on!"_

"_Kakashi, you know what is going on. You just deny the whole fact—"_

"_I am no mind reader, Jiraiya-sama. You stopped giving information about the enemy's side. And now I'll find out everything from Uchiha Itachi who seems to be one of your spies. Are there any more surprises?" Silence dawned again. We heard a small creak – someone sat on the sofa, someone heavy… must be perv-jiji._

"_The truth is, my spies are being useless lately, even my spy inside Orochimaru's office." Perv-jiji replied._

"Oh, it was Orochimaru…" _I unconsciously whispered out loud._

"Why? Jira-jiji explained this before, right?" _Naruko whispered back. I couldn't help but just laugh at myself._

"I thought his name was **_Orochichi_**." _I replied, and Naruko rolled her eyes away from me. But I did catch her smile for seconds._

"_How many spies do you have?" Jii-chan asked, but it took seconds before perv-jiji replied._

"_I used to have a lot. But I currently managing two on the two."_

"_And the other one is Uchiha Itachi. How?"_

"_Minato is my student, you think you're the only one who had contacts with him?" Perv-jiji replied confidently. Hearing our father's name sure hurt a little. "He was the one who told me that Uchiha Itachi was alive, and I was the one who secretly helped him till now."_

"_I see." Heh, Kakashi-jii-chan's favourite reply… "Who's the other one?"_

"_Yahiko, my former student after Minato; He's three years younger than you, is his name somewhat familiar?"_

"_Yes. He's with Uzumaki Nagato and the girl whose name I forgot." Not again Kakashi-jii-chan. I then heaved a sigh before focusing once more on their conversation. _

"_Yes. I bumped at him months after the death news of Uzumaki Nagato on television, and found out that he seeks revenge for his dear friend."_

"_I see…" I couldn't help but laugh at Kakashi-jii-chan's reply, it was somewhat predictable. "Yahiko… the current branch head of the Akatsuki?"_

"_Yes, how did you know?"_

"_Since you stopped giving information, I asked my dear old friend, Nara Shikaku, to make an investigation about the Akatsuki Company."_

"_Wow, I keep on forgetting you work under the government. No wonder Minato favours you than his other students; you're a perfect epitome of him." Really, Kakashi-jii-chan is an epitome of our father? Yeah, I can't see it…_

"_Don't change the topic, Jiraiya-sama."_

"_What do you want to talk about, Kakashi? I have told you what I know."_

"_Uchiha Itachi… He was the one who told me everything." There was a short pause between them. "Let us discuss this with Tsunade-sama tomorrow." _

"_And who would watch over these kids?"_

"_I think it is better if they would know about the things happening around them. They're not kids anymore." I somewhat agree with Kakashi-jii-chan. And I can see Naruko agreed too. _

"We should sleep now for our meeting with obaa-san tomorrow." _Naruko suggested, and I agreed. We went to our places and lied down. We did not turn off the lights, in thought that the two older men would realize that we were listening to their conversation. Minutes after, Kakashi-jii-chan entered our room and closed the lights._

* * *

_**Present**_

* * *

"I don't like the feeling of this." Shikamaru uttered, both hands rubbing his forehead like he'd been hit by a pole. Temari was on his side, thinking of how to comfort her loving boyfriend, she clearly have not seen him like this. In front of them were the two Hyuuga, Chouji, and Kiba, as problematic as the Nara. All of them decided to skip their respective classes and head to Temari's apartment to think of a way on how to cheer their blond friend up. Shikamaru even told Sakura where the said blond may be when he accidentally bumped at her in the gate. He can remember her saying about being late for her class. Shikamaru likes Sakura for Naruto, and he's glad Naruto met a girl like Sakura.

Temari noticed Shikamaru's features relaxed a little. And with a little luck, Temari finally thought of an idea on how to help the Uzumaki twins.

"Shikamaru!"

"Hm?" he responded in his lazy-tone voice.

"Your father thought you how to hack right, or something like that?"

"Yes, and…?"

"I can access you to the Akatsuki's domain. Then you could hack the files there."

"Good idea, but the Akatsuki's not that stupid, I'm sure they'll be hiding their top secret files somewhere else." Neji uttered in a calm voice.

"You have a point there… Ah!" A light bulb suddenly lit on top of Shikamaru's head and headed to the computer, "Temari, you said you can get access to their main domain, right?"

"Yeah. There's a folder there in the computer, there you'll find the list of Akatsuki's domain, including their branches. Though I'm not so sure which folders it is…" Temari replied while watching the brunette open random folders, "There are some files you might have a hard time accessing," she continued, as she pointed several folders in the opened several windows. "It contains important files, I guess."

"I see…" Shikamaru replied while scanning the folders.

"What are planning to do?"

"It's simple, Temari. You said I could access any folder here except for the green files right?"

"Yeah, and then?"

"If I could access them all, then I could hack the Red Sand's files…"

"And access the other files under the name of the Akasuna Clan's company." Neji smoothly added.

"But why them? Why not the other companies?" Kiba asked curiously, while unconsciously playing the hem of his shirt – a habit he found contagious from the Hyuuga heiress.

"Simple, it's the closest company to the Sabaku." Shikamaru replied.

"Aren't they going to find us out easily?" Kiba asked, doubting his brunet friend's decision.

"They won't," the spiky brunet replied confidently. "Because they'd think we'll hack farther companies, because they'll track us easily if we hack the company's file that is close to our ally."

"I see. So you do have brains, slug." Kiba teased.

"Well, then, we shall do that. I'll also gather some information from the Hyuuga's side." Neji said, earning him several nods from the company.

"Alright, thank you Neji." Shikamaru uttered, before returning his full attention to the opened windows in the screen, and input some binary codes, allowing him to access the main domain's files.

"Anything for Naruto-kun." Hinata replied for Neji. And Neji clearly noticed a little jealousy in Kiba's face. He was expecting his brunet friend to have a certain feelings towards his cousin. Who wouldn't? Kiba is now Hinata's personal buddy. And with that…

"Kiba, would you—"

"Yes, I'll take _Hinata-sama _back to the hospital."

"She has class." Neji corrected, making the brunet scratch behind his head.

"But Neji-nii-san—"

"No buts, Hinata-sama. Your father will kill us if he finds out you cut class… we cut class… It is better for you to go back to the university in case he checks us," Neji explained. "Besides, Hiashi-sama and father knows Kiba."

"As your personal helper; you should have introduced me as your friend than nothing. Now they think I'm a helpless kid whom you hired out of pity." Kiba ranted. As expected from the brunet.

"What do you mean, Kiba?"

"Neji, your uncle – no offense Hinata – just freakin' paid me when he visited Hinata one night! I don't freakin' work for you!" He exclaimed with hands flailing for emphasis.

Neji then sighed and accidentally glanced at his dear cousin, who was laughing at the two of them. "I'm sorry, Kiba. And thank you for doing me and Hinata-sama a big favour."

"Of course, that's what friends are for." He mumbled before looking at the heiress. "C'mon, Hinata!" He said cheerfully. Kiba then bid farewell to the rest of the company, with Hinata wishing them all luck, and before everyone knew it, they were gone in a flash.

"I kind of see why you asked Kiba to baby-sit your cousin." Temari commented, half teasing. Neji just laughed at it in reply, before he received a message from his father.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave as well. There's an emergency back home." Neji announced in a melancholic voice. "I should have taken Hinata-sama instead of Kiba."

"We understand." Shikamaru replied as he glanced at his Hyuuga friend.

"I'll contact you right away."

"Yeah, you do that, Neji. Take care."

"Yeah, good luck."

"I'll walk you to the door." Temari offered, which Neji accepted.

"Thank you."

"I'll cook us some food, I'll leave you here in peace for a while, okay?" The sand uttered to the spiky brunet, earning her a nod from him, before leaving with the Hyuuga on her tail.

Shikamaru appreciated that Temari knew what he wants. And he needed all the time to hack the site and files of the Akatsuki. Good thing his father trained him last summer vacation. His father is really determined to make him work under the government, even though he doesn't want to. But he has no choice, he has to use his brains somewhere, and he kind of visualized himself in his father's place. And he must say he kind of like it.

It took him an hour to finally hack the Akatsuki's main files, and ten minutes to gain access to the Red Sand's files when he finally discovered the patterns of the codes. He was amazed how organized the files were, and all were color coded, but no labels. He then decided to go from right to left.

"Damn, it's not in the green folder." He uttered to himself as he closed the folder and checked the yellow after, but he didn't find what he was looking for, he tried the other folders but still none. Until the only folder left was the red one.

He was somewhat hesitating to open the red folder. He never liked the color to begin with. But time is running, and it will not stop for him. "Well, here goes nothing." He muttered to himself once more, praying that he'll finally find what they're looking. And after taking a deep breath, he opened the red folder and found himself staring at thousands of word documents, video presentations, and financial documents. He quickly uncapped his USB and copied all the files. Once he finished, he immediately entered some more codes to erase all histories that he accessed all the files with the computer he's currently using. He shut down the computer after and opened his laptop, and decided to check the files there, the safest one he could use so far, special thanks to his father who installed an anti-tracking device to his laptop so it would be hard to trace him if ever he did something bad… not like he would, but it is sure helpful at times like this. After all, it's always better to play safe.

He calmed himself for a while as he rested his back on the backrest, as he sat on the sofa with his laptop on the side table. He checked his watch and noticed that he's been working for hours now, longest record so far. But it was expected, the codes used on the Akatsuki's files are very complicated, even normal hackers wouldn't access it. The only thing is, he's not an ordinary hacker, for his mentor, his father, is a professional hacker and one of the top spies in Konoha, under the government, and he's proud of that. His father saved thousands of lives with his brains, except for his college friend, Uzumaki Kushina. It was kind of ironic though, for he's doing his best to save his Uzumaki friend, just like his father, but this time, he wanted to succeed, and he'll do his best to succeed.

The first few documents he copied were nothing, just about their production growth and business stuffs, the other files were about the stock shares, the other files were about the history of the company and the recent and previous stock holders. There he saw Temari's father's name and their company. Some were news compilations, and he took note some of them in thought that it might come in handy someday. Some files were related to the Explosion Corporation, who is now managed by the owner's son, Iwa Deidara. He was curious about this and decided to create a folder where he moved all the documents that they might need in the future, and documents that somewhat makes sense in relation to the Akatsuki's plan for their friends.

After opening and closing several documents, he noticed a very suspicious one. It was in different color with a name similar to a barcode. He was hesitating to open it but who cares? The Akatsuki's hidden agenda or something might just be hidden there. After all, he'd been waiting to be shocked the whole time, and nothing seemed to surprise him. And this, this document, might be the one they're looking for.

Then again, he usually hates himself for being right with his instinct, for the content of the document did not fail to surprise him. He had opened something he was not supposed to, and now he's doomed for knowing every details of the content. Damn him and his photographic memory. He's supposed to be closing the window, but no, he kept on scrolling down like some entity submerged his body. And all he could do now is allow his self to calm down—mentally, spiritually, and literally—for he could feel his hands, and his entire body shake. Who wouldn't, anyone would shake in disbelief, or even have a heart attack with such news. And clearly, Shikamaru was not ready for this, and no one would ever be in their group of friends, because simply, this could not be true… This. Is. Impossible.

Temari's long dead brother, Sabaku Gaara… is alive!

_**-End of Part 11-**_

* * *

**A/N 2:** Hey ya'll! Part 11 just ended *yeah* and sadly, I won't be able to update it right away because of my work loads. Please do understand. And thank you very much for reading my story, and for the reviews, I really appreciate them. I even read them all from time to time for inspiration. Kind of cheesy, I know. So as always, take care folks!


	12. I Care Too Much For You

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 12**

**-I Care Too Much for You-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

**A/N: **Super thanks to my readers, followers, and alert-ers, you guys are _**the best!**_ Really, y'all are :D

* * *

_"Naruto?"_ _I muttered as I saw him among the crowds last night. Well, I thought I saw him. But when I finally managed to catch the blond man, it turned out that it was someone else. I don't know what's happening to him lately, but after our talk about __**our talk**__ the other day, he became completely distant. It's my turn to take care of Gray – since I miscalculated the number of weeks of our summer vacation; I now have to take care of him for a month – meaning I have no reason to go to their apartment._

"Hey, I'm leaving ahead. Go to the café in a few, alright?" _Ino called as she peered from my room's door, and saw me lying in my bed in my pajamas. I was expecting a ranting pig, but she just left after. With that, I rose from the bed and followed her to the living area._

"Where are you going?" _I asked as I watched her fix her bag in the sofa, and waited for her answer as I leaned on the door frame._

"Sai's outside." _She replied, with an evident blush on her cheeks. _

"Eh?" _I squealed in excitement, I never thought she'd be quite fond of that bastard. Well he did call her 'gorgeous'. I too would be fond of him if he called me that instead of 'ugly'._

"We're going to class, silly. Have you forgotten I have Saturday class?" _She explained in her rather usual tone, making me curious to no end._

"Not really. But why is he picking you up?"

"We have the same building, and fortunately, our class is on the same floor."

"Heh, looks like someone here's having a suitor." _I teased, making her cheeks redder._

"No, no, you got it all wrong. I was the one who suggested it." _Ino replied. _"He's my new friend."

"I see." _I replied with a teasing smile present in my face. She rolled her eyes in replied and attempted to change the topic._

"My class will be over in three hours. Be sure to—"

"Yes pig, I will."

"And while you still have time, why don't you fix your problem with Naruto." _I admit, I was not expecting that statement. It stiffened me a little, and the smile on my face obviously disappeared, replaced by a nervous chuckle._

"Who said I'm having a problem with Naruto?"

"No one..." _she said. Now she's the one with a teasing smile._ "Now head to the café and check on Shikamaru and Chouji. I'm kind of nervous; this is the first time I left the café under their supervision." _She continued with a worried face. It is true though. I had morning class today, while Ino rest in the morning because of her late class yesterday. Shocking though, it was Shikamaru and Chouji who offered their help. They were even a bit shocked to discover that I work in the café with Ino. Small world isn't it? Those two young men are Naruto's friends, and they are Ino's childhood friend, and obviously, that pig is my best friend. Everything seems to connect with Naruto. Is this a sign or something_

"Don't worry, Tenten's will be fine." _I replied, hoping that it would ease her. Luckily, it did. She then smiled at me before heading to the door._

"Yeah. I guess you're right. I'm leaving now."

"Take care." _I said as I watched her close the door._

_To be honest, I've never felt this exhausted before. And it would be alright if I don't go and check on the café. It is seven o' clock in the evening, they should be closing it in an hour. But an hour is still long, a lot of things could happen in an hour._

"_**Are you alright, miss? Are you hurt? I mean it is painful, I feel hurt myself…"**_

_Yeah, a lot of things could happen in an hour._

_I guess I have no choice but to check on the boys and Tenten in the café. _

* * *

_The weather's really changing quite oddly nowadays. It was a cold evening. The light casting from the light posts gave a dramatic effect to the falling orange leaves, as the wind gently blew it off the branches. Autumn used to be the season I don't usually pay attention to, but I'm starting to appreciate it now. And for some reason, it reminds me of someone… Heh, déjà vu much._

_ Four months, that's how long I've known him. And within those months, I managed to fully trust him, and became friends. And to think that all we've been through – though not like we've been through a lot – would just end because of some stupid rumours, and some things that I don't even know and Naruto refused to tell. Not really refused, he just chose not to tell me. There's a difference between those two words. And despite the trust that I gave him, he still don't trust me as much. Am I really that of a bitch to him? Am I that insensitive to him? Why isn't he telling anything to me?_

"Oi, Sakura!" _Someone called; I turn to my left and followed the voice. Only to realize that I already arrived at my destination, and standing in front of me is a brunet with a hair that always reminds me of a pineapple._

"Shikamaru, how is it going?" _I asked gloomily._

"Everything's fine." _He replied with his usual lazy tone, while scratching his head and casually stealing glance inside the café. _"I caught a glimpse of you when I was serving the costumer by the door. I thought you'd drop by but noticed that you were lost in thoughts," _he added as his gaze fall back on me. _"Are you heading to Naruto's apartment by chance?" _Now why is everyone bringing __**him**__ up?_

"No. I wasn't heading to his apartment." _I replied flatly as I look down. _"I just passed by to check on you guys. Ino's favour."

"Oh, is that so…" _He replied while nodding repeatedly. _"There's not much of a ruckus here. Tenten and I switched place an hour ago during the happy hour. Looks like making smoothie is her specialty."

"Yeah, she is good at making smoothies," _I agreed with a smile. I was about to leave and head to who knows where my feet lead me, when I noticed a blonde girl with a hairstyle not too far from the brunet inside the café. _"Who is she?"

"Oh, her…" _Heh, I assume it's his girlfriend. By the way his cheeks immediately turned red as his eyes unexpectedly met the blonde's._

"Your girlfriend?" _I asked teasingly, earning myself a shocked gaze from the spiky brunet._

"Yeah, you may safely say that." _He replied with a sheepish grin, while scratching behind his head._

_Both of us laughed at the situation. I never thought this lazy-man could be a people-person. We actually just made a not-awkward conversation in seconds. Maybe having Ino as our common friend served as a factor to this. _

"I'm glad the café's not burning to the roof." _I said teasingly. _"I better go now."

"Yeah, take care."

"You too," _I replied. _"You two look great together." _I complimented, making him blush once more, in a deeper shade of red this time, and gave me one of his sheepish grin once more while waving goodbye, with his other hand scratching behind his head. _

_And my journey began once more. To be honest, I don't know where I'm supposed to head to. I just let my feet drag me to some place, and maybe contemplate for a while. And maybe buy some food along the way. Or maybe eat somewhere and—_

"Sakura-chan?" _Why is everyone calling me today? _"What brings you here?" _And then again, I found myself standing and staring blankly at nowhere. And why does everyone who calls me always related to Naruto?_

"Hatake-san…" _I uttered as I bowed politely. _"I was just… wandering around."

"Hmm…" _Was the only thing he replied while rubbing his chin. I then noticed the grocery bags he was carrying on his one hand. _"I think you mean wondering. Want to come in?"

_I was about to reject his offer, but this might be a good chance to see and talk to Naruto. I know it was the last thing I would do, but might as well do it. I'm already here, and everyone seemed to talk about him – must be a sign. _

_I politely nodded and followed him upstairs. We were about to use the elevator up, but the guards halted us and explained about the technical problem. The two of us then decided to use the stairs up to the seventh floor. And man, it killed me, or maybe my legs. The building consists of ten floors, with hallways that look like a lying letter 'T' with small, wide legs, excluding the ground floor in rectangular shape. Each floor has twelve rooms – six rooms on the left, and six on the right. According to Hatake-san, the last rooms on both sides were the largest rooms, with three bedrooms including the maid's room in the kitchen which they used as storage, and three bathrooms, and the room with biggest balcony. The two rooms next to the last room are the second biggest rooms, with two bedrooms, and baths. The next two rooms only have one room and bath. While the one in the middle, almost facing the other hallway, is a studio-type. The adjacent wall to the last room on both sides of the said hallway, in front of the second biggest room in the corner, is the emergency exit. Hatake-san even joked while we were climbing the stairs that they will be the first one to be saved, because they're the nearest room in the emergency room. It is true though, the other hallway is where the staircase is located with the elevators on the side, two each. _

_Hatake-san also told me that the second floor only consists of entertainment rooms, usually used for parties and meetings, while the half of the third floor where you can find the grand kitchen, where they have a dumb-waiter (elevator for food) so they can deliver the food to the kitchen in the second floor. He doesn't know what the other half of third floor has. The fourth floor to the ninth is for the tenants. He said that this apartment is actually built for the university's professors, but in reality, he's the only professor who lives in here, together with Jiraiya-sensei, which also happens to be my new English professor for this semester. The tenth floor is actually the covered roof. They call it the 'Green-floor'. Naruto brought me there once. It is where he showed me his five plants. He even told me that his favourite hobby is watering his plants and watching them grow. It surprised me, to be honest. I never thought that he'd be more of a nature lover than me, a lover of science. It was fun watching him water his plants. For others, he may look like a crazy man because he's talking to plants, but I find it astonishing, and not to mention cute, and sweet. _

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you're alright?" _Hatake-san asked once more. Damn, did I phase out again? I lightly shook my head and nodded politely. _"Well, if that's the case. I'm glad to inform you that we're finally here. Do you still remember the room number?"

"Room 712?" _I answered hesitantly. He sure treated me like a kid sometimes. Or is he trying to act cute? He doesn't have to though; he is good-looking, even if half of his face is covered with a mask. And whatever action he does, he'd still look good. Well I guess him acting cute is somewhat a plus factor. Kind of like Naruto, he still looks cute even if he acts dumb. And I do admit that he looks hot when he's serious and wearing his reading glasses._

"Yosh! Just like what Naruto said, you have a good memory," _he said before leading the way. Really, he talked about me to his uncle? _"I actually heard it to Naruko. He usually talks about you to his sister. Kind of weird though, because usually when you talk about girls, you talk to your dad, or your uncle, or your good friend."

_I couldn't help but smile. It was pretty unexpected. As he opened the door, he told me to sit for a while in the living room while he put all the things he brought in the kitchen._

"I'm sorry, but Naruto's not here. He has a night class, but it will end at eight," _he said from the kitchen. _"And Naruko's with her godfather for her studies."

"Oh yeah, she's also in college." _I uttered. I almost forgot that Naruko is Naruto's twin._

"You thought she's few years younger because she calls her brother _'nii-chan'._"_ Now, can he read minds or something?_

"Yeah." _I replied while looking at the picture frame on the side table. I never noticed this before. It was a family picture of Naruto when he was a little kid. They were in the field, having a picnic. Naruto and Naruko are in the middle, with Naruto on the left. Their mother was behind them in the middle, hugging them, with their father behind their mother. Well, I assume it's their parents, it looked like it. Hatake-san was also there, on the right side of the mat, he still looks the same though, only slimmer and I think smaller. Jiraiya-sensei was also there in the grill stand with barbecues in his hands, with Tsunade-shishou. Wait, Tsunade-shishou? Naruto knows her? And their parents, aren't they the renowned lawyers who died on the plane crash?_

_It was the same year the Uchiha Massacre happened. It has been the talk of the town for few years. Until now, some people would reminisce that year where a lot of known people died. Of course, the name **Uchiha** used to be the number one company. And maybe Naruto's parents are really that good to be remembered till now._

"…you may freely wait for him." _I heard Hatake-san finish. I never thought he was still talking to me. But I nodded politely as he peeked from the island. _

"It's alright, Hatake-san. I have to go to the café and help my friends clean up." _I replied politely as he joined me in the living room._

"I understand."

"Though may I ask one question?" _What had happened? Why did it slip from my mouth? _"Why…" _I should not ask such thing, this is crossing the line._

"Why…?"

_I already said it, there's no taking it back. And I want to know why Naruto's avoiding me. _"Why's Naruto avoiding me?" _I should have rephrased it. Now I wished I never asked it. He was just staring at me, eyes were passive. Have I offended him because I'm questioning his nephew? I should have… I should have not—_

"To be honest, Sakura-chan, I don't know what had gotten to my nephew's mind." _He replied solemnly. His eyes were kinder now than before. I gave him a faint smile before looking down. He then scooted in the sofa and gently held both my hands. I looked at him in shock and noticed that his eyes were innocent, and no signs of pranks, or anything. _"But I let you know now that you have my vote. Same goes with Naruko and Jiraiya-sama."

_I don't really know what he was talking about. But I'm happy that Naruto's family likes me as—what the hell? I slowly took away my hands and stood up, and bowed in front of Hatake-san._

"I'm really sorry, but I must leave." _I said before straightening, and waited patiently for his permission._

"Alright," _he replied before standing up. _"Should I tell him you came?"

"No!" _I replied quickly. _"It's better if he doesn't know."

"I understand." _He said before giving me a sweet smile. He sure is a fine man. But how come everything he does reminds me of Naruto? How come everything reminds me of Naruto? _"Good bye, Sakura-chan. Take care."

"Thank you, Hatake-san. Good bye." _I replied politely before leaving. _

_I decided to take the stairs. It would help me unwind a little. It was a bit suffocating for a while. What am I feeling? Just few days of not seeing or communicating with him and this happens to me? What had happened to me? What is this? This feeling… it's new to me. I've never felt this with Sasuke. Maybe because when we were together, we were living in the same roof, and I'm kind of used with his unpredictable mood. But Naruto's different. He's like a sun that gives warmth to my heart, and removes all the negative thought inside me. His presence alone cheers me up, and I don't know what I'm talking about!_

_I stopped and observed the ground floor for a while as my feet touched the floor. It is rectangular, with the main entrance on the right side in front of the lobby desk located near the stairs, and several sofas and chairs. The left side, like what Hatake-san told me earlier in the stairs, is where the laundry room is located. There are two vending machines on the side and more sofas and chairs in the center. The only thing that separated the lobby and the laundry room is the short hallway for the elevators. There are two doors on the side of the stairs. I supposed those were rooms for the staffs or something. I guess from the top view the overall area looks like the letter 'I'. _

_I heaved an imperceptible sigh and placed both of my hands inside my pants' pocket, only to realize that my keys were missing. I looked down on the ground but it wasn't there. I should stop phasing out. I guess I have to climb up the stairs again and trace back my steps._

_I did climb up. And I swore the door in their apartment room swung open. Maybe it was Hatake-san. And he sure did forget to close the widely opened door. I'll just knock on their door I guess, or maybe I should peek and check the floor if it is there._

_But as I approached the door, I heard a very familiar voice. And I know it belonged to Naruto, looks like he just arrived. I then leaned on the wall behind it, and slightly opened the emergency exit and blocked my bag in it just in-case I get caught. I know I'm not allowed to use it unless there's an emergency, but this is considered as emergency. Shannaro, what's with my luck today?! And why is my body moving on its own? Why… why am I peaking and listening to their conversation? I should be going now, I really should. But I guess I'm already here. And I did see my keys on the floor by the table. Hopefully Naruto would not see it…_

* * *

"Damn it, the guard didn't even warn me that the elevator's broken!" Naruto ranted as he sat on the carpet between the sofa and the table. "They could have at least placed a sign or something to warn the tenants-ttebayo!"

"But, you're early than usual." Kakashi replied from the kitchen. He was cooking some mixed vegetables and fried chicken, since he knew he can never force his nephew in eating vegetables. Though little did Naruto know that the chicken is secretly stuffed with taste-less vegetable. He needs to eat healthy foods once in a while. "By the way, where's Gray?" Kakashi was about to tell his nephew that he invited Sakura in a while ago, but remembered that Sakura wished him not to tell the blond about it. And since it was very tempting to tell, why not ask something related to the rosette?

"With Sakura." The blond replied gloomily. It was obvious that he was missing the skunk. Kakashi could tell that he did have fun moments with the said creature. Or maybe, it was the said girl that he was missing.

"Ah… Sakura-chan. How is she? Haven't seen her in a while, I miss her compliments regarding my cooking." Kakashi uttered before turning off the stove.

"I don't know." The blond replied before resting his crossed arms on the table, leaning his temple on top of it. "Haven't talked to her since the day I returned Gray last Monday afternoon."

"Missing her?" Kakashi asked as he transferred the food to the plate, and placed it on the dining table.

"Yeah… kind off."

_Hm… this is interesting, _Kakashi thought, as he headed to the living area to join his nephew, and sat on his chair. "So…" Kakashi teasingly hummed, with gleaming eyes addressed to the blond. "Cupid shot you and is now in the progress of falling in love?"

"I am not, datte-fucking-bayo!" The blond retorted with both hands flailing in the air for emphasis as he looked up at his uncle, earning him a more intense, gleaming stare from the older man in return. "Wha-wait… we're talking about Gray, right?"

Kakashi slowly shook his head and smirked at the blond. "I knew it," the gray-haired man concluded. "You really are a sucker for blue eyes—"

"Her eyes are green!" Naruto corrected. "Green I tell you, green! Are you color blind or something?"

"Aha!" Kakashi exclaimed while pointing a finger at the guilty blond. "So you do know who we are talking about."

"Oh, damn it all," was the only thing Naruto managed to utter upon slamming his head on the table. "What do you want perv-uncle?" He asked, earning him a pat on the shoulder from the older man.

"Why are you denying it?"

"None of your business—"

"Thought our relationship's better than that."

The blond then sighed, and finally managed to look up at his uncle. And to his surprise, there were no hint of gleaming eye or a smirk on his uncle face. His expression was rather serious and concern, topping it all off with an innocent smile. Naruto dropped his gaze on the table and unconsciously tapped his fingers in it.

"I don't want to endanger her life." The blond uttered. Kakashi then sat beside him on the floor and rested both his hand on the table.

"I'm sorry." The gray-haired man uttered solemnly, catching the blond's full attention, and earning him a shock gaze. "I'm sorry because I cannot give you full protection, that even your love life is in jeopardy."

"Ka… Kakashi-jii-chan…" Naruto uttered with a faint blush on his face.

"This will end soon…" Kakashi assured as he faced Naruto. "I promise."

Their conversation was soon interrupted by the footsteps they heard from the door. The two men both peaked but only saw their neighbour enter their respective room. Naruto's gaze soon fell on the floor, by the center table's foot, and noticed a Sakura flower key chain with several keys in it.

_Sakura…_

* * *

_I… I can't believe what I heard, I should have just knocked on the door than listen to them. And my heart, why is it beating so loud?_

_Everything else was blurry. The next thing I knew I was running down the street with tears on my eyes. Am I crying? Why? He did not say anything that might hurt my feelings, so why am I crying? Is it because of the thought that I can never return this feelings he has for me? What were they talking about? Why is Naruto's life in danger?_

_I stopped running, and bent down as I tried to catch my breath. My heart is still beating insanely for some unknown reason. Where would I go? With my keys left in Naruto's apartment, I can't go inside ours, and Ino's last class will end at ten. I now owe my life to the emergency exit at the seventh floor in Naruto's apartment. Surprisingly it also led to the lobby. I was thinking it would lead me at the back of the apartment. Luckily it did not, or else I'd be far from our apartment. And it is late at night; it's dangerous to wander around. I looked around and noticed that I stopped in front of the café again, the previously opened café. Of course, it is past eight. They might have closed it a bit earlier than usual. Now where would I stay? One of the keys in the key chain is for the café, and I can't enter the university now. The only thing open are the college buildings. I then sat on the concrete curb and leaned my head on my knees, while hugging my legs._

"Sakura?" _Random people I passed by today called me, as they see me phase out in front of them. But this voice made me froze. The voice was very familiar to me. Am I just dreaming? But I hope I'm not. There is only one thing to do to confirm it._

"Na… Naruto?" _I managed to utter in my shock state as I gradually looked up. He's panting. Was he trying to catch up? Did he know I was there in their apartment?_

_Seconds after, he pointed his crumpled hand towards me, and slowly opened it, revealing the keys that I left back at their apartment._

"I saw this on the floor and recognized the key chain-ttebayo." _He explained, before staring at me for several seconds and asked. _"Were you crying?"

_I don't know how to answer his question. But one thing's for sure, that question somewhat irritated me. This is one of the moments that I hate him for being ignorant. Or was he being ignorant? In either way, I stood up and approached him, with tears continuously rolling down my cheeks. I really don't know what to say. I stopped in front of him, with his stretched out arm in between us. I began to panic deep inside when he opened his mouth, causing me to do what I do best. I slapped him…_

"No, I wasn't crying! I was cleaning my eyes with water; it might get irritated because of your presence!" _…and said nonsensical things. Yep, I am pretty good at those things, especially when frustrated._

"Are you mad at me? Why are you raising your voice?" _He asked, while gently rubbing his cheek. His other arm is now placed back on his side, still holding my keys._

"No, I am not! My ears are slowly failing me that I can't even hear myself!" _I stupidly and sarcastically replied once more. I can't take this anymore. I want to know why he's treating me this way. Why is he avoiding me? _

"Saku—"

"Why are you pushing me away?"

"What are you—"

"Because I always hit you?"

"N-n-no—"

"Or because of the thought that I still like Sasuke? We were through the minute he left me!"

"Sakura—"

"Why… why are you distancing yourself to me?!" _This time, tears started falling down my cheeks even harder. I then looked down and closed my eyes, while my both hands clutched the hem of my shirt._

"Because I don't want you to get hurt-ttebayo!" _He cried. I immediately looked up at him this time, but our eyes failed to meet. He was looking down on the ground, both hands were now inside his pockets._

"What?" _I asked as I tried to stop myself from crying._

"I almost died once," _he began. And I swear I saw a tear roll down his face, shown by the light casting down on his slightly bowed face._ "And that guy that I killed according to those rumours, he's not the only one who wants me dead. A lot of people want me dead. And I rather die than have you killed because of me!" _He finished as he looked up at me, allowing our eyes to meet. It was heartbreaking to see him cry. It was the first time I saw him like that, and it killed me because he's crying because of me. We were both crying because of each other. I can safely say that our scene right now is similar to those late-night sappy dramas, only cooler though, because we're not monologue-ing. Well, I am in my brain. _

"I don't get it…" _Why… why can't he just explain why he's avoiding me? Am I not that trustworthy?_

"I… don't know how to explain everything-ttebayo…" _Did Naruto just read my mind? Am I that easy to read? There are so many questions in my brain. But I guess the only thing for me to know the answer to those questions is to eagerly listen to what Naruto would say._

"But whatever you heard back there in my apartment, it was all true. I care too much for you, that it would kill me if your life would be in danger because of me. So just stay away from me." _His last sentence killed me. He doesn't have to care for my safety. Who am I to him? I'm just some girl he just met four months ago. I… I just want our friendship back. I… I don't want to lose someone again. I would do anything…_

"If… if I would return the feelings you have for me… would you—"

"Let us not fool each other, Sakura. Goodbye."

"Na—"

"Don't worry about our thesis. I'll still work with you. We can still work it out separately. We'll do the exchange every Monday at Iruka-sensei's class, we'll do our own report, and just combine it." _He then grabbed my hand after speaking, and handed my keys over, before turning around, and walking away from me._

_It hurt me… It hurt me see him walk away from me. Why… why is everyone walking away from me? Don't I have a single worth for them? It hurt so badly, and I don't even know why. It reminded me of how Sasuke left me. There was no specific reason. Just a broad reason why they have to leave me…_

"_**I care too much for you, that it would kill me if your life would be in danger because of me. So just stay away from me."**_

_You two are best friends, Naruto. You even said the same thing to me. And you both did the same thing to me. I wonder if you'd be the last person who would do this to me. _

_No. I would never let that happen again. It was one of my biggest regret, when I let Sasuke get away from me. I won't let you do the same, Naruto. I wouldn't. You're not getting away with this. And you would explain everything to me!_

"Naruto!" _I growled as I ran towards him, and managed to knock him down as I pounced, with his back lying on the gravel. _"I don't give a damn about your killers..." _I uttered with shaky voice, my tears failed me again once more, as I felt them slowly ran down on my cheeks, and land on Naruto's. His eyes were as wide as the moon, and I'm glad it is. At least I know that I have his full attention. _"It kills me, you know. Ever since those rumours spread, I started blaming myself..." _My voice rose. I wanted to lower it down, but found it difficult to do so. Were my feelings this strong for me not to be able to compose it? Or am I really that short-tempered? Why am I shouting at him anyway? I am not his mother!_ "Did you know how miserable my life was the whole summer break? I didn't enjoy it because I was thinking about you, your safety. And now you're telling me to go away because you freaking care? Well, I care too!" _Damn too much._ "That's why I decided to stay with you the moment you opened up the truth behind those rumours. And this is how you treat me?"

_I paused for a while, and allowed myself to cool down. But both of us neither moved a muscle. We just remained quiet; eyes were intact with each other's gaze. Thank goodness people rarely walk on this street during this time, and people who live here are pretty much busy with their own thing. The last thing I want to happen is hear another rumour about Naruto. I then took a deep breath and closed my eyes, as my tears still continued to fall, both hands were clutching Naruto's shirt. I have nothing more to say. I found myself speechless, as I realize that I was sitting on his abdomen, with both hands, gripping his shirt on top of his chest. For other, is may look like an awkward position, and situation. Well it is, but I could care less of it, no one's watching anyway. Though said feeling did strike me when I felt myself slid down on his lap, both his hands were cupping my face, wiping the tears that finally halted from falling. We are actually close. Too close that the cat managed to catch my tongue, and take hold of it for the meantime, as the scene slowly sank into my brain. It was unexpected and surprisingly warm. He truly is an understanding and nice person. Too kind that it melted my heart. _

_Is it right to feel this way? Or am I just feeling such things because I've longed for Sasuke to come back for too long? Or am I just being a good friend to him? A lot of things happened within those months that we've been together. Happy times were always granted each day we see each other. And every smile he gave never failed to cheer me up. But at the same time, seeing Naruto initiated different emotions in my heart, confusing me with my feelings towards him, as his actions continued to surprise me. Is it normal to feel this way?_

_Then suddenly, all the questions in my head receded as I hear him chuckle softly. I regained courage and opened my eyes, only to see his smiling face, hands still cupping my cheeks and wiping the remaining tears._

"I'm really sorry-ttebayo." _He said as one of his hands scratched his head, while the other fell on his side. _"I'm really that hopeless, you know." _His facial expression softened as he looked down on his hand on his side, realizing that it was resting on top of my hand instead on the ground. _"But I don't know if I could protect you. That's why I—"

"Shoving me away from your life won't save me you know..." _I replied sternly, his gaze still locked on his hand on top of mine. _"Everyone knows we know each other," _I added as I removed my hand and placed it on top if his, startling him a little (his hand did stiffen for few seconds). _"I am safer with you." _I finished. This time, he looked up at me with a concerned face. Then again, I found myself lacking of words to say. I just then decided to give him a smile, before unconsciously hugging him. _"I don't know why those people want you dead, but I'm not forcing you to tell me. Just want you to know that I'll always be here for you. We are friends, right?" _I said, while secretly hiding nervousness. Why am I even saying such things? What would he think? He might avoid me because of this. Oh damn it all… Da—_

"Yep-ttebayo! We are." _–amn it? Wait, what?! Rewind please! Did I hear him correctly?_ "And I'll keep you safe, no matter what." _It wasn't a replay, but his reply and him hugging back is enough. Come to think of it, this is our first hug. A hug… and it was not awkward at all, because we are friends. _

_I closed my eyes and savour the moment a little before it completely end, just because I received a text from Ino that her class ended early and wanted to meet me in the café – well, I am already here. Naruto saw the message too as I ordered him to go home. But stubborn as he is, he stayed and waited for Ino with me, until she arrived. We shared a glance, exchanged smiles, bid farewell, and parted ways. And whatever happened this evening will remain a mutual understanding between us that might strengthen our friendship. I hope it would._

* * *

Sasuke was about to head to the orphanage after his class ended to meet up with his brother, and get his remaining things. But choosing the west gate for shortcut was probably not the good idea. Of all people, why does it have to be Naruto, or Sakura, or both? It shouldn't be a problem though. But seeing his best friend and his previous lover this close to one another somewhat made him twinge. He didn't leave Sakura without a reason. He has several good reasons, so to say. And one of those reasons is to protect her.

He had long known that his life is in danger, Mayu-sama explained everything to him just before he reached his teens, and he knew that getting involved in a relationship might endanger his partner's life. So he has to leave her. But he did love her, though he soon realized that his feelings were far from the word love, and all that he felt for her were just pure friendship, a special one.

Then why is he jealous? Naruto is a better man than him, he would make her happier. But his life is more endangered than his. How would he manage to protect the special girl in his life if he can't even put his life into safety? He's careless, and clumsy! So Sasuke is a better man than him. Or maybe not? He did fail to save the two of them from the man he that suspected to be close to Itachi.

All he wished for is Sakura's safety, right from the start. And till the end, it's all he will ever want, aside from bringing their lives back to normal. And a crazy thought suddenly passed through the raven's mind. It is challenging, for he knew how stubborn Sakura can be. But it might lead to her safety.

He clearly remembered what his older brother told him that night when he strongly decided that he would leave with him in his secret place, about him cutting off all is connections for a while, while they stop the Orochimaru guy from ruining their lives. But this is necessary. And knowing Sakura, it wouldn't take much long either, as long as she would cooperate accordingly. It is a good plan actually; it's like hitting two birds with one stone – driving Sakura away from Naruto, and soon driving her away from him, though the hard part is making Sakura to _play the game_, because he simply doesn't know how. But if what she said to Naruto about her feelings towards him were true, it might be a bit of a challenge. And who says he hated it? He loathed it. Knowing that it would be difficult, it would take him time to start _the game. _And time sure is running. If only there's an easy way… to make someone fall for you again.

_**-End of Part 12-**_

* * *

_When love comes around, there are two things that it could do…_

_It can make you go crazy because of happiness._

_And it can make you go insane because of pain._

_Either way, it depends on the person's wise decision, and courage to face the consequence that person might encounter._

* * *

_**A/N 2: **What is game?_ *in Pein's voice* (Funny me, hardiharhar. All credits goes to**_ minatissue_** A.K.A Minashito-sama [make sure ya'll check this author's story, heehee] XDDDD). Hope y'all enjoyed reading this part :D Take care folks!


	13. This Calls for a Celebration

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 13**

**-This Calls for a Celebration-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

******Disclaimer2**: I do not own the cereal, _Koko Crunch_. All rights goes to Nestle.

Special thanks to my editor, **minashito-sama**. You are _the_ best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

**A/N: **Super thanks to my readers, followers, and alert-ers, you guys are _**the best!**_ Really, ya'll are :D

* * *

_The orange leaves had stopped falling from the trees, and the cold breeze continues to send chills down to my spine. Days continue to pass by, yet this feeling I have for him still lingers somewhere in my heart. It was all a big misunderstanding… But either way, we'll both still part ways. He's a city boy; I am just a girl who helps her mother gather flowers in the field. We had different worlds to begin with._

Ino contemplated while walking around the campus, wasting her sweet time before her next class starts.

_I wonder how he's doing?_ the pearlescent wondered as she pictured his feral grin. The one he usually makes to irk her. She then heaved a sigh and sat on the bench across the food stands.

She found it hard not to think about him after their unexpected encounter. She thought she had long forgotten him, but as her eyes met his that day, everything just went back in a flash. The fact that they just had a short casual hi, hellos, and goodbyes afterwards; and just as when the heavens granted her wish to finally have a chance to talk to him and explain her side, she let it slip away like a ball rolling down a sloped pavement.

_You bastard, how can I forget you now?_ She asked as she gently rubbed her temple, forcing herself not to think of him anymore. And just as she was about to wander off again, a long-haired girl suddenly fainted by the ramen stand. There were only few students at that time and she has no other choice but to approach the girl and help her, otherwise her conscience will kill her to no end.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked as she placed the half conscious girl's arm around her shoulder. "Can you help me carry your weight? We're not that far from the hospital anyway." She asked as she tried to raise her up. The girl meekly cooperated and forced herself to stand on both feet. And as the two began walking, or more like Ino slowly dragging the girl, the pearlescent noticed the identification card dangling by the girl's neck.

_Hyuuga Hinata , huh. Daughter of the owner of the Hyuuga company... I wonder what she's doing here. Their family name is quite controversial, alongside with the Uchiha and Akatsuki, though the latter one is not really a last name_, the pearlescent thought as they approached the hospital door, where several nurses welcomed them and offered their help like the girl Ino helped is some kind of a regular patient, which she is, little did the pearlescent know.

* * *

The professor finally arrived five minutes after. He was happy that his students understood the instructions he wrote on the board. After all, they are just simple instructions. Even a first grader or a pre-schooler can understand that.

"Alright class, are you all seated with your thesis partner?" He asked with a cheerful tone. And he was beyond delighted upon hearing their answer,_ hai_, echoed in the room.

"Okay then, bring out your pen and paper and start illustrating your methodology. It will serve as your examination today." He finished before heading out once more outside to talk to some students with problem regarding their grades.

For some, the task given was too high school. For many it was difficult and challenging because of their chosen topic. For Naruto and Sakura, it was beyond difficult, despite of the difficulty level of their thesis. Their thesis topic is not even that hard if one will analize it. It was just an investigatory project wherein they observe and record the daily life of a skunk that is far away from his native home.

"How would we illustrate that?" The golden blond asked with exasperation before banging his head on the desk. He looked up seconds after and watched the rosette rummage her bag. "What are you looking for-ttebayo?"

"Ino can help us..." She said, still rummaging her bag. Naruto then tilted his head sideward and curiously look at the rosette. "She's good at sketching animals and sceneries, it is her specialty." She continued. Naruto was about to ask something when he sensed a 'but' coming.

"But…" as he expected. "I cannot find my phone. "

"You can use mine." Naruto offered. "You memorized her number, right?"

"Yep, I memorized it in case I lose my phone."

"Like this situation?" He teased, making the rosette fake a laugh and roll her eyes before accepting the golden blond's phone.

_Huh?! Why is Ino's number registered on his phone?_ She asked herself as she pressed the call button, but soon shrugged off the thought as she heard the phone from the other line ring.

Sakura called the pig several times, but none of them were answered and returned by the pearlescent.

"I give up." The rosette uttered with exasperation as she slammed the phone on her desk. The golden blond across her gave a worried face, though not addressed to the rosette but to his phone.

"Please be gentle with my phone-ttebayo."

"Sorry." She replied before reaching back the golden blond's phone.

"But…" another 'but', as the golden blond expected. "Why do you have Ino's number registered on your contacts?" she asked as she looked down at her desk. It was bothering her a little. She just wanted to clarify if the two knew each other before she met the golden blond.

Naruto just cocked his head to the side and stared questioning at the rosette. "What are you talking about, dattebayo?" with that, Naruto checked his contacts and indeed, he saw Ino's name listed in his contacts.

"Do you know her before you met me?" She asked as she raised her head and glance at the blond before her.

"Yeah, because she's my two buds' childhood friend, but never did it come across my mind to ask for her number. And we were both young when we last saw each other. I don't think I have a phone right back then." He replied before placing his phone back inside his pocket. "And as far as I can remember, that poo-whiff never met her." He said before scribbling something on his notebook.

"Poo-whiff?" the rosette echoed. Geez, this guy says the strangest thing on earth, she concluded before leaning on the backrest of her chair.

Two hours now had already passed and they only have an hour to do their task. Sakura had long given up on searching for her phone, while Naruto kept on scribbling something on his notebook. Some students were done and it was pissing Sakura off. She was starting to feel agitated at their current situation. It was very not like her not to think of a solution at times like this. And she cannot believe that the golden blond before her seems to not care at all, and is pretty calm writing stuff on his notebook. She managed to heave a sigh before her temper reaches its boiling point, and decided to talked everything out with her **_dependable _**partner.

"Can't we just do something for the sake of passing something?!"

"Geez, I really don't know-ttebayo…" he replied, causing Sakura to bang her head on her desk.

"Hey, don't lose hope, there's still a way." The golden blond said cheerfully, hoping to cheer the rosette up, but looks like he made her angrier.

"There's still a way?!" she echoed, anger hinted in her voice. "For two hours I was thinking of a way how to illustrate out methodology. But you?! Oh yes you, you just kept on scribbling some…" Sakura trailed off as she, by instinct, took his notebook away and unexpectedly caught glimpse of the chibi drawings. "You draw?" she asked with a shocked face. Naruto then scratched behind his neck and nodded, with a matching sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"Kind of."

"Then why didn't you tell me that earlier?!" She asked before giving back the blond's notebook, which he gladly accepted. He's not really proud of his chibi drawing, it wasn't even close to his real one, like his real one is good enough to be passed in the arts department.

"Because you were really exerting an effort to contact Ino. I then had a thought that you prefer realistic drawings so I did not bother to tell you." He explained, earning him a sigh from the rosette.

"This is actually pretty good." She stated as she pointed at his chibi skunk. "I called Ino because I cannot draw. If you'd told me beforehand that you can draw, then I would not waste my time calling that pig." Sakura explained, making the golden blond rub the bottom tip of his nose accompanied by a smile.

"Heh, so this is fine?" He asked, earning her a heart melting smile from the rosette.

"Of course! It is more than fine." She replied. With that, the golden stretched both his hands upward before grabbing the clean sheet of paper from the rosette's desk, and his pen.

"Yosh! Let's get going then."

"Hai!" The rosette happily replied as she watched the golden blond fill the paper with bunch of chibi skunks. The two did not even notice the time and they were both shocked that Iruka was back and is collecting their paper.

Turns out that the following students who finished first did the wrong thing and was asked by their sensei to repeat their work, Naruto and sakura on the other hand received a quite different treatment from their sensei.

Iruka smiled seconds after the two submitted their paper. The two patiently waited for any changes, and even some rants because they actually did the wrong thing. Who would have thought Iruka-sensei actually told them to illustrate it by describing it in words and **not** in drawing. And now Naruto feels so ashamed of his chibi drawing.

"This is actually good." Iruka uttered before raising his head to meet the two set of eyes staring back at him. "You two may happily leave, both of you get a perfect score." He finished before giving them an assuring smile. And the next thing he knew, the two was happily hugging each other tightly while jumping up and down, before bidding farewell to him, and left the room with joy. The scene somewhat reminded him of his two colleagues, which happens to be the golden blond's parents.

_Who would have thought same thing would happen to their son?_ He thought as he reminisced the time when they also had the same type of exam in their biology course, wherein Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato were also the only law students in the said course. Iruka was also amazed at how similar his drawing is to his father, and how he is also paired with a girl with a temper. The color of the rosette's hair is even within the shade of the golden blond's mother's hair. It was very entertaining to see such scene happen again. Especially Kushina and Minato's love story was quite famous in the campus. Not only because they are the students of the school head's best student, but also they are also the topnotchers in the bar examination, and the top students in class, and yes, Kushina's temper somewhat helped, and Minato's looks. Something Naruto managed to get, if only he'll dress neater, and act less childish.

_I just hope he will not take the same path his father did_. Iruka followed as he watched the blond walk away with the rosette. Despite of his childish demure, Iruka knew he has a bright future. And he can definitely see his future with the rosette, for no apparent reason. _Looks like you two just remind me of my dear friends_, he thought with a smile before entertaining his other students.

* * *

"I never thought I'd meet someone who has the same course as I am." The pearlescent happily uttered as she reached the glass of water to the heiress, whom the latter gladly accepted.

"Me too." The heiress said meekly before drinking.

"So you have this disease ever since?" the pearlescent asked before seating back at the sofa.

"Hai." The heiress replied with a nod. "But according to the school head I'm getting better." She finished with a smile.

"Heh, that's good to hear." Ino replied with a big smile, before glancing at her phone beside her.

Ino almost slid down at the sofa upon checking who called her several times. _Why… of all people at all times… why him? Why is he calling me?_ She thought before placing her phone back inside her bag.

"Is there something wrong, Ino-san?" The heiress asked thoughtfully. The pearlescent shook her head lightly and gave the heiress one of her sweet smile.

"Nah, it is nothing." She replied. "I just need to make a phone call." Ino said before standing up and head to the door. But as she made several steps away from the sofa, the door clicked open, revealing someone she was clearly not expecting to see.

"Yo, Hinata! I bought some sandwiches. Your nurse called me and…" the brunet trailed off as he realized the person standing before him.

_Kiba?! He knows this girl? Is she his current…_

_Ino? Wh... What is she doing here?_

The two stared at each other for seconds, before the two decided to tore apart and head on their destination like nothing happened.

Ino leaned on the wall as soon as both her feet stepped out of the room. She felt weak deep inside. There were so many questions bugging her that she forgot the reason why she went out of the room in the first place. Right, the phone calls a while ago... But why would Kiba call her, yet the way he looked at her earlier says that he was not expecting to see her. Of all people, why him?

Her phone rang again, and with no hesitation, despite that the caller's name belongs to none other than the Inuzuka who just entered the heiress' room, she answered the call.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

_"Ino?!"_

"F-fo-fo-forehead girl?!" Now she was not expecting that. "Whose phone are you using?"

_"Naruto's. I misplaced my phone somewhere in my bag. Anyway, why weren't you answering my call? I was worried."_ The pearlescent was thankful enough that the phone belongs to Naruto. But how come Naruto's phone is registered in her phone under Kiba's name? Maybe they swapped numbers or something? She thought, but shrugged of the idea as she remembered to reply to the forehead on the other line.

"I have class, remember?"

_"I know, and you always call me during these times."_ She heard Sakura explain. She then heaved a sigh while thinking of another excuse.

"I'm kind of busy right now."

_"Oh. I see. I'm sorry to bother, you do sound like you just met trouble. See you in a while!"_

Why is it the forehead is always right? Heh ironic, forehead always right? It made Ino smiled a little, and finally had a courage to enter the room once more to grab her bag and leave for good. She then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, exhaled, and took hold of the used to be handle. Her eyes jolted open, only to realize that she was holding none other than Kiba's hand.

"I uh… I…" Ino only managed to utter as she immediately removed her hand on top of the brunet's and stepped backwards to give way.

"I have afternoon class. I'll leave ahead." The brunet uttered before closing the door behind him. Ino just looked down and nodded before entering the room. Not even noticing that the brunet was about to say more things. But the situation was awkward enough. And the brunet thought that it was better that the pearlescent just walked away. It was not just awkward, it was indeed very awkward.

"Are you alright, Ino-san? You seemed really bothered from the moment you checked your phone." The heiress asked with a very worried face, making the pearlescent more worried because of the heiress' condition. "Is it because of me?"

"No, no. It's not because of you." Ino replied while weakly waving her hands. "I'm just late for my class. That's all." She excused. Though she is really late for her class, three hours late to be exact, but it would end soon, so why bother to come.

"Is that so," Hinata uttered before looking down in guilt. "Gomen ne—"

"Don't be." Ino replied, startling Hinata for the sudden weight on her side. She looked up and saw Ino sitting next to her with a sweet smile. "I am actually beyond happy I met you. I only have few friends here and—"

"Really?"

"Huh?" Ino was shocked at the heiress' sudden reaction. "Really… what?"

"That you only have few friends, and that you consider me as one." The heiress uttered shyly as she aimlessly played the hem of her blanket. "You see, I also have few friends and—"

"Of course I do!" The pearlescent exclaimed before hugging the girl before her. The heiress was startled for a moment, but soon hugged the pearlescent back with a smile.

"You should head to your class now." Hinata said as they broke apart. Ino nodded and gave the heiress another smile before heading out of the room.

Having a new friend in the campus is the happiest thing that happened to her so far. Plus her new friend is also in the same course with her, though not in the same section, but it is okay. At least she can talk to someone about other things other than gossips and boys.

And just as she forgotten about the main reason why she became uneasy earlier, in the lobby, a brunet awaits her with a pup behind him — as expected though, the guy is a dog lover to begin with.

"First of all, I am not waiting for you." _It's a lie,_ _It's a lie, why are you lying? _the brunet thought repeatedly, as his eyes met hers.

"I know." _Geez, what am I thinking? Of course he doesn't_. The pearlescent said to herself as she stopped before the brunet. "How have you been, Kiba?"

"Heh, I'm surprised you still know my name." The brunet uttered with a weak smirk on his face, as he moved his back away from the post he was leaning.

"You're my first love, how could I forget?" The pearlescent replied as she looked down. What does he want? She asked herself, trying hard to compose herself in front of the guy she previously love, and the guy that her heart still long for.

"Yeah… how could you." The brunet echoed as he looked down, allowing the silence to grow between them. Like Ino, he was not expecting to see her. And he had to admit, the pearlescent before him did bloom into a beautiful flower, with her long fringes still obscuring her eye. And damn she let her hair down today! He almost forgot how she looks like with her hair down because she always keeps it in a pony.

Kiba could still remember how they first met. It was during his first gig with his band mates. It was also the moment where he first sang in front of the crowd. HE was somewhat nervous that moment because his band mates, particularly Naruto, never for once, appreciated his singing voice. And there he was, forced to sing in front while playing the drums because his blond vocalist finished a gallon of ice cream the night before, and his other raven vocalist unfortunately helped the said blond eating it. Talk about luck, right? And neither of the two refused to admit who started the dare first, such a funny situation the two got into.

So there he was, singing while hitting the drums before him, until his eyes found her blue ones. It was beautiful, especially when she had sung with him. He then told himself he will never let go of that blue eyed girl, even though her hair somewhat reminded him of the hair of his main vocalist.

They became friends in an instant. It was easy for the two of them since it was the year where his blond friend left, and his raven friend completely hid from them, though Sasuke permitted him to visit the said raven in the orphanage. Then the lazy-ass Nara's stuck with helping his father, together with Chouji. Technically he has no one to be with, except for the pearlescent blonde, who will only be staying for few months till summer vacation is over.

It was a beautiful friendship that blossomed into something special. Too damn special that he's currently having a hard time to forget it. The reason why he is now known by his friends for being a playboy type; another reason why he's kind of scared of getting close to the Hyuuga heiress, especially now that the pearlescent is back in town.

"I still do, just so you know." The pearlescent uttered, before raising her head to meet the brunet's eyes, eyes that spoke of pain. Though what is pain to begin with, maybe she's just imagining things. "I have almost moved on, until I saw you that day." She continued as she looked down again, clutching her hand in front of her, forcing herself not to let a single tear fall from her eyes. She has to show him that she is a strong woman, and she does not regret breaking up with him. That she only wanted to talk to him to clear things up.

But before she could continue her sentence, the brunet began to speak. "Why are you saying such thing? I thought you preferred black-haired, bastard looking guys?" He said with a snicker, a pained one. "I mean, I did see you with Sai few days ago." He continued, making the pearlescent raise her head once more with a shock expression. "Of all people, why does it always have to be my friend?" He asked. "And heck, why does the second one have to look like Sasuke? It's always him—"

"It was never him!"

"How could you invert the words you said before?!"

"Because it was easier that way!" The pearlescent cried, as her eyes failed her, halting the brunet before her. "It was easier to break up with you if other people are involved, than saying that it would kill me to have a long distance relationship with you." She finished before wiping the falling tears on her face with both hands.

He was not expecting her answer, but it sure killed him to see her cry in front of him.

"I'm not begging for you to come back. I'm not even ready to enter in a relationship yet." Ino said once more while sniffling from time to time. "All I want is for you to clearly understand my reason. I cannot stand you being mad at me." She continued, totally breaking the brunet's heart. "Yes, I did like Sasuke. But I soon got over him the moment I found out he liked someone else. Someone really close to me..." She said as tears continued to fall from her eyes. "And I'm scared to lose you when I go back to the province and have a long-distant relationship with you. So I decided to break it. I mean it will end either way." She finished. Hoping that her explanation cleared all the lies she made before, and hoping that the war between them will finally had its end, not like they really have a war going on between them.

Kiba just stood before her, motionless. After all this time, what he believed in was a lie. And he is now feeling guilty for even cursing her name to the heaven above. He mentally slapped his forehead before approaching the crying pearlescent before him, and hugged her for the last time.

"I'm actually happy that you have moved on."

"You still jump in conclusions, Ino." Kiba replied with a smirk as he felt her hug back. He sure missed her.

"What do you mean?" She asked before slowly pushing him away, giving them enough distance to look at one another.

Kiba then gave her one of his grin and wiped the remaining tears on her face. "It's kind of hard to move on when the girl you previously love is you." He said before laughing at his own joke. Ino joined him in laughing seconds after.

He wanted to be with her again, he really do. But he cannot deny that his love for her had lessened. And he could tell she did too, as he watched her raise her hand to offer a hand-shake.

"Do not play with her, alright?" Ino asked, causing the brunet to cock his head sideways and stare at her curiously, causing the pearlescent to giggle. "I heard you became a playboy…" She uttered before taking his hand from his side and shook it in the mid-air. "…Hinata is a good person. I like her."

"So now you like raven girls?" He teased with his feral grin plastered on his face, causing the pearlescent to lightly punch his chest.

"I do not mean it that way." Ino retorted, causing the brunet to laugh.

"You are hot-headed than me," he said before pulling her again to a hug, hoping it would cool down her temper. "I know what you mean. And I'm kind of scared that I might."

"Then stay away from her as early as now." She said, hugging him back as they swing a little from side to side.

"I can't. His cousin assigned me to become her sitter." He replied. "Besides, she likes Naruto."

"That's not what I saw earlier." She teased.

"You are delusional." He reacted as the part once more. "But I believe I must go now."

"So it is true you have class?"

"Yeah." He replied before turning around from her, with both hands behind his head. "You know I'm no liar." He said before turning his head and giving her a wink. "Stay safe." He finished as he waved goodbye at her while walking.

Ino smiled and watched him disappear from the trees. "Goodbye, Kiba." she silently said, as she finally let go of him. All she wanted was his forgiveness, and he finally gave it to her, and it felt great to finally be forgiven. She then looked up at the hospital windows and searched for the heiress' window. "Heh, I leave him to you." She murmured as she spotted the window with lavender curtain. She may be assuming things, but she could tell Hinata's atmosphere became different when she saw the brunet entered the room. She could tell, it was the same atmosphere she used to have whenever she bumped at the brunet before whenever she decided to go to the park.

She could not explain the atmosphere, but it was light, and happy. Who wouldn't? He's cheerful by nature. And Ino would be happy if the brunet would end up with Hinata, at least she knows that the heiress will not hurt him. Well it is all based on her readings on the heiress' personality.

And as autumn ends, another season will enter. Another chapter will be open, and another opportunity will come and go. Looks like I'm just in time for the happy hour, she thought as she happily headed to the café.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were only planning to eat at the university's park. The two was not expecting to see a tragic, well not really tragic, love story of their best friends in front of the hospital's facade.

"I feel bad." Sakura uttered, breaking the silence between her and the blond in the bench they are currently sitting on. "I never thought…"

"Now why does everything have to lead to Sasuke?!" The blond unexpectedly blurted out loud, earning him a smack on the head from the rosette.

"**Baka!**" The rosette growled at him. "We're having an emotional scene here."

"Well I am not a fan of dramatic scenes-ttebayo!"

"Then might as well play along, would you?!"

"**No!**" And another smack was given that day, making him pout as he rubbed the top of his head where the unknown object kissed his skull, and left a big lump.

"But it really makes me guilty." The rosette uttered in a far more serious tone. Naruto then looked down on his lap and smiled to himself.

"Yeah, I also find it ironic." He said, capturing Sakura's attention. He then looked at her with a weak smile and continued. "Everything leads back to us." He finished, causing the rosette to blush and look down on her lap.

"What do you mean?" She asked as she began swinging her feet.

"Ino is your best friend, and she used to have a relationship with my best pal. Ino is also Chouji and Shikamaru's childhood friend, which also happens to be my childhood classmates. Ino likes Sasuke, whom you had a relationship, and which happens to be my childhood friend." Naruto explained before looking up at the dimming sky. "Everything somewhat connects us. Ironic huh?"

"Yeah…" Sakura concurred as she faced him once more, just as his gaze fell back on hers. The two exchanged smiles before looking back at their previous view they were looking at.

"I'm glad I met you." She suddenly said, earning her a curious look from the golden blond. "You unexpectedly changed my view in life." She finished as their eyes met once more.

Naruto was unsure how to react. He doesn't know if it is normal that his heart beats so fast whenever their eyes meet. They are friends right? But how come every time he looks at her green eyes, his heart beats insanely different? With lacking of words to say, he just replied with a sheepish smile, earning him a laugh from the rosette. A laugh that never fails to melt his heart.

_Damn, I think I need a doctor_, he said to himself as he laughed nervously at the situation. The feeling he is currently feeling is too foreign to him that he doesn't know how to handle it. And he's positively sure his uncle and sister, and especially his godfather, will laugh if ever he opens up his feelings to them. But he has to talk to someone about it. Usually it would be the raven, but he cannot approach him now because of their killers, and because he is Sakura's previous lover. It would be really awkward. This left the genius Nara on the list.

"So where do you want to eat?" The rosette asked as she stood up. The golden blond did not even notice that she's already standing.

"Anywhere, dattebayo!" He said cheerfully as he stood up and stretched.

"Hm… We cannot go far, it would be dangerous for you—"

"I told you not to worry about—OW!" And another smack, again, was given to him. "What was that for—ttebayo?!" He asked with a pout present on his face. And Sakura must say, he really looks adorable when he pouts.

"Thought we're okay?!"

"We are oka—OW!" And another smack… "Please stop-ttebayo! It really hurts ya know." He cried, earning him a laugh from the rosette, but at least he also received a kiss on the forehead, where her pencil case landed earlier.

"Sorry, I just couldn't—"

"Heh, it's okay." He said, causing the rosette to curiously stare at the golden blond. Now it is Naruto who's laughing. "As long as you'll remove all the pain with a kiss it would be—"

"Save it." The rosette finished as she stepped away from the golden blond. "Let's just eat ramen, okay?" Sakura suggested before leading the way.

"Damn, your smacking even hurts than my mother's…" He murmured as he followed the rosette while rubbing the spot where Sakura lips touches his forehead, while mentally uttering Mendokuse in his brain. He now understood Shikamaru's rants about Tembori. Or was it Tamborine? It's troublesome, but it is all worth it, as long as you see that wonderful smile of hers, and let us not forget a kiss on the forehead — that was unexpected, really unexpected — all the pain will just go away like how the wheat field transforms into koko crunch in just a single 'poof'. Damn, is he in love or something? Or maybe just a friendly crush. Guess he'll pick the latter one.

* * *

It is very clear that Sasuke is meant to see the drama between Ino and Kiba, and most of all, the growing bond of Naruto and Sakura. And who says he hated it? He loathed it so much he wanted to throw his eye balls to the garbage bin. Every time he planned on executing his plans, Naruto always appear in sight. Why can't he just disappear for once? And where is cupid when you need him?

Naruto should not get close to Sakura, and same goes with the rosette. But how would he tear the two apart if they are always together? Unless, if what Kiba said is right about that Hinata girl having feelings for Naruto is true, then maybe, just maybe, it might be a good distraction for his golden blond friend. All he needed to do is think of a plan to get Naruto take Kiba's situation as the heiress' sitter.

It should be easy, right? Though his brother would kill if he finds out the raven's crazy plan, he should not be even spying at him and should stay out of his love life. But he is doing this for Sakura's sake. Heck, he is not even in the position to do such thing for her. He is not the rosette's father. But why is he doing this? As her friend? If it is, isn't it too much? But he knew deep inside that he only likes her as a friend, even as a sister. But if his feelings are far deeper than friendship, then he is in big trouble. Because it would mean he has to break the bond he made with Naruto, unless the golden blond would let go of his feelings towards the rosette. But there is no assurance to all things, and they still have to eliminate all the people who are currently ruining their life. Such a fucked up life they are having right now. Looks like Sasuke might join his brother with his 'wine-night' celebration for discovering something about some things he refused to tell the raven.

Either way, he's a _badass hottie_, and like he care for his blond friend. He actually does, but… _meh_.

And with footsteps tapping, and some rustling sound from the leaves lying in the pavement, the raven approached the love birds with rising confidence– looks like the game has finally began.

"Hi there, **_Sakura_** and Naruto." He uttered with a smirk marked on his face, and confidence that already reached the heavens above.

And as the sun completely set down, new friendship was found, old friendship finally came back, current friendship deepened, and strong friendship will soon shutter into pieces. Life is truly playful, ne? Cheers to that!

** -End of Part 13-**

* * *

**A/N: **Be sure to stick around folks for the up-coming chapters, the game has finally begun! Will Cupid be in Sasuke's favour, and succeed? Or will Naruto just counter everything like a **_ninja_**_. _And what is the latest news regarding the Akatsuki and our snake-boy, **_Orochichi_**? (LOL see what I did there? XDD) Speaking of which, have ya'll read the latest chapter, so awesome, ne? Bastard-emo-avenger days are finally over, men! Looks like we have another thing to celebrate today \w/

Comments are highly appreciated like **YEAH!** It's like my non-intake-able drug that never fails to inspire me to write. Though I'm not forcing ya'll. You can just click the follow/alert button and all is okay. If you're really not in the mood to… ya know… well it is sad, but yeah… What matters most is that someone reads this fan fiction of mine, right? Ya'll deserve my thanks for that *thumbs up*

But seriously… *guffaws*

Yeah, ya'll must be thinking I've turned psycho or something. Anyway, as always, take care ya'll! Cheers~!


	14. Commitments

******THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 14**

**-Commitments-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**Disclaimer part 2: **I do not own the songs Distance by Long Shot Party, Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye, Kimi Monogatari by Little by Little, and Payoff by Faber Drive

**_minatissue_-sama**, you know you're the best. Thank you for being my editor. After all we've been through, Rush Hour 1 and Rush Hour 2, and now there's Rush Hour 4 (okay, another disclaimer. Me do not own Rush Hour series... No, no. *straight face*), you're still here (well, not literally here with me... inside my house... in my room... not like I have a room of my own... yeah, you get the point). Okay, enough with my sentimental-shits :))

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, again. My laptop's in the brink of dying and... yeah. But past is past and part 14 is here! (YEY!) To all of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited me and this fic, thank you. I really appreciated it.

And to those who were asking in the review page, this is **STILL** a _**NaruSaku**_ fic. Yeah... More explanation in the second_ A/N_ by the end of this chapter. Enjoy reading, folks! :)

* * *

Melodic voices of birds trumpet its symphony along with the breezing winter air. Not a single snow drop can be found yet, but the coldness sure had arrived, together with the loneliness that is willing to stay in one's heart. Though with its sweet voice, one can't help but just relax and listen to it, with dreams inside two pockets.

"Wow, that's amazing!" The Hyuuga heiress blithely responded to the story-telling brunet before her who, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying his precious time sharing his memories to said Hyuuga. After all, sharing some unforgettable events, and bragging off some skills to someone does not happen all the time. "So you're like a one-man-band?!" She asked, giving full interest to the brunet's narration.

"Heh, not really…" The brunet replied sheepishly. "Just the band instruments, I had never played a single classical instrument in my entire life. A little bit of violin I guess. But I stopped. T'was never my interest." he explained before releasing a diffident laugh.

"That's really cool!" The said Hyuuga praised once more in a tone full of glee.

The pearlescent, however, is deeply bothered with the situation, let alone being stuck in a picnic with her old lover and her new friend. The ironic part was the brunet is currently sharing the exact story he told to the pearlescent before when they were in the getting-to-know stage. Story that made her so fond of him that it somewhat saddened her to hear it again. She may be over him — it is what her brain wants to reckon — but watching the man she once loved fish another lover is the last thing she wanted to witness. She still remembers what she said to the young Inuzuka boy before about moving on and proceeding with their own lives by being friends, but that doesn't mean she really meant every word she said. They have spent every second together within the three-month period, the brunet should then know by now when and where the pearlescent is lying. Another ironic thing was she also failed to sense all the lies the brunet was keeping.

What the brunet said to the pearlescent was true, on a sadder case. A special bond has started to form between him and the heiress and there is no other way of stopping it from growing. And if ever their friendship goes a little deeper, there is a chance that he might use her as a cover-up for his break-up with the pearlescent. It's been almost three years since it happened, and he clearly doesn't know why he just can't get over with her. It wasn't that special, right? It was a one-month relationship. The shortest relationship he had, to be honest. The brunet may be entitled by his friends as '_the ultimate playboy'_ in the group, but he is not the typical one. He's the kind who would really try to love the girl he is currently with—the reason why most relationship he enters lasts a bit long from two to three months. Courting them all was easy as singing ABCs. And he never admitted it to himself, not that he have anything to admit in the first place, but the girls are just too weak when it comes to his pick-up lines. Not that he's good at delivering them, not that he intends to deliver them at all. But for some fortunate reason, the girls like it, very much. Breaking up on the one hand, was not the worst part because all the girls would instantly understand his situation once the reason is explained, which somewhat hurt him because it only meant that he's easy to be let go. The worst part was realizing that the girls he dated failed to beat the pearlescent in his heart.

"Yeah, you should hear him sing as well." And he had almost forgotten that it was only the pearlescent who appreciated his singing voice… the only one. The brunet looked down in a casual manner, thoughts about the pearlescent bugging his brain, and aimlessly petted his sleeping pup on his lap, as the two girls across him chats like they're fan-girling about this famous rock star. He doesn't really know why he felt bad. It should be a compliment for him.

"Really, Kiba-kun sings?"

_Kiba-kun? I never heard anyone call him that. I guess they really are in good terms now. _The pearlescent mentally assumed as she sweetly smiled at the amazed heiress beside her. "Yeah, he sang once in a party while hitting the drums." She happily shared to the heiress as her mind played the reel of past for few seconds, enough for her to think of another reply as the heiress echoed her last words once more. "Yeah... He's also Naruto's back-up singer, aside from Sasuke. Sasuke can't sing well if the lead's too hardcore."

"Naruto-kun is the main vocalist?!" The heiress began to ask in a pitch a bit higher than her previous one. "Th-that's really amazing." The heiress suddenly muttered as her cheeks flamed up, rendering her face in a deep shade of red.

_Now this is just unbelievable! _The pearlescent reacted once more inside her private mind as she felt her jaw drop momentarily. She clearly wasn't expecting the heiress' reaction to drastically change by just mentioning Naruto's name. And to believe that the said Hyuuga is starting to feel something for the brunet was all just an oblivious assumption.

Ino, by instinct, shot a glance at the brunet in shock, only to catch him smirking at her victoriously, as if telling her that he was right all along about the said Hyuuga's feeling towards his blond best friend. The pearlescent rolled her eyes in return and forced a smile on her face before facing the heiress, making the brunet roll in laughter together with the annoyed, newly-awaken pup.

"What's so funny?" Ino shot through him with a glare hidden under her long blonde fringes, unseen from the heiress' view. Thank goodness for the long bangs.

"Nothing, I just want to laugh." Kiba replied before releasing another mighty laugh. This time, the pup managed to escape from his owner's tight hug and hid inside his crazy '_dad's_' backpack. "Just continue your chit-chat with Hinata-chan." He said before releasing yet another laugh.

"Is he really like that?" Hinata asked with a smile, amused at the brunet's unusual actions.

"Not really, just humour him." The pearlescent responded with a smile after she shook her head lightly, and before glaring intensely at the still laughing brunet.

"What is wrong with you?" The pearlescent shot once more as her fist automatically shook repeatedly in the mid-air to the presently lying brunet. "There's nothing to laugh about, stop it already!"

"Heh, make me." He shot back as he raised his head to take a look at the pearlescent's expression, only to witness the flying chopstick towards him, in which he flawlessly and effortlessly caught in the air. He smirked back at the fumed pearlescent before planting his head back on the mat, with the chopsticks held in his hand—this can be a good souvenir from the pearlescent.

Just before the tempestuous pearlescent could release her mighty roar to the brunet, her attention fell back to the snickering heiress. Triggering the brunet to jolt up on the mat and gaze curiously at the said Hyuuga beside his belov—er, his pearlescent pal.

"You know, if you two didn't introduce each other beforehand as friends, I will assume that the two of you had a mutual relationship, or currently in a relationship." Hinata commented before smiling sweetly at her two constipated-faced friends — looks like she has unknowingly hit a right note.

"Heh, Hinata-chan, why think of such things?" The brunet asked while rubbing his nape, nervousness shown through the transition of his laughter.

The heiress only managed to shrug in reply and answered. "Because you two act so comfortable with each other," she said before shifting her gaze to the caught off-guard pearlescent. "And Ino-san seems to know a lot of things regarding Kiba-kun."

_Kiba-kun, then Hinata-chan… In my point of view, it looks like the two of you have gone through more than me and Kiba. _The pearlescent said to herself as her gaze lowered down to her lap, with a smile so weak it made the brunet itch for the pearlescent's answer.

"Heh, I only knew few things about Kiba. It just so happen that we met at that party where he first sang in the crowd." Ino replied, before the deafening silence blossomed in the air.

Kiba was unsure how to react. But one thing's for sure, he has to break the silence that was slowly sinking in. He was at fault. He should have not accepted Hinata's picnic invitation the moment he sensed that Ino would be there. But Neji would kill him soon if he found out that Kiba did not stay for the whole afternoon with the heiress. Such a complicated situation he placed himself in to.

"Who wants to eat pizza?" The pearlescent cheerfully asked as she opened the box of pizza in the middle. Kiba was not surprised. The pearlescent was good at breaking silences ever since. He just hoped that such scene won't happen again. And he would definitely beg the brunet Hyuuga to look for another nanny, a real one this time.

* * *

"_I thought we are not allowed to see each other?" The blond curiously asked upon the raven's sudden appearance. But the said raven jerked off the thought of having his blond pal as his audience — his ignored blond pal — and had his gaze locked on his beloved rosette._

"_I am here to speak with you." He said as he watched the rosette's gaze transform into a painful glare._

"_What do you want, Sasuke?" The rosette responded with a scowl. _

"_I want to talk to you. You said wanted to settle everything between us. Then here is your chance, Sakura." The raven said in a monotonous voice._

_The rosette looked down and remained silent in reply. She was contemplating if she would trust the raven before her or not. After their break-up, she swore to herself that the only guy she would trust is her blond friend. And trusting the bastard she once loved again would be a cliff-pusher in her life, especially that the rosette doesn't even know if the raven will catch her this time or let her fall on the solid concrete once more. But she is curious of what the raven would say to her regarding their previous relationship; and she did pray for this day to come._

_Having no business or whatsoever between the raven and the rosette, the blond stood up and told the rosette that he would wait for her in the ramen stand, much to Sasuke's glee. He had been waiting the entire week for him to disappear in the picture. Who would have known patience is a virtue, and timing is everything?_

"_We're alone, what do you want?"_

"_You." Sakura immediately looked up to clarify the word that came out from the raven's lips. She was not expecting that Sasuke would show up one day and say such thing. Her eyes never tore off him as he sat down at the blond's previous position. Sasuke could tell that the rosette was shuddering with anger. But he has a game to finish. He already started it, what's the point of backing out now? _

_Both of them remained silent for a moment as time continued to flow, with eyes now locked on their own lap. Not a single eye-contact was made. Not a single touch was felt. They're just seated next to each other, with not much motion acted. Until the raven finally decided to make the first move, and speak the unspoken words inside his mind._

"_I left you before—"_

"_Because of the stupid Akatsuki, I know that now, Sasuke, thanks to Naruto." Sakura interrupted, anger was present in every word she spoke._

"_I wanted to—"_

"_Save me? Yes Sasuke, I think that's the whole point of this. I mean, Naruto also wanted me out of the picture." The rosette then rolled her eyes and scoffed, still not making any contacts with the raven._

"_Sakura, will you—"_

"_Let you finish? Weren't you the one who cut me off before?!" It was true, in thoughts of Sasuke. Good thing the rosette refused to look at him, for he cannot hide the growing anger on his face._

"_Actually, I was going to ask you to stop talking about Naruto. This is between me and—"_

_"You?! Like we ever happened—we were nothing!" _

_"I had really loved you before and I really care—"_

_"Guess what? I don't need your love. You treated me like a stranger for years and it just... It feels so rough you know."_

_"Sakura, I am truly sorry for what I did." Sasuke pleaded as he turned to her. Looking sincere and all, in which he is, surprising it may sound._

_"You didn't have to stoop so low, Sasuke."_

_"Now, are you sing—"_

_"Now you're just somebody that I used to know." _

_"..."_

"_This is bullshit, Sasuke. Talk to me when you're really okay." The rosette ended as she stood up to meet the blond and have their decent meal at the Ichiraku's. But the moment she made her first step, she found herself being turned around by force. Her eyes wide open as she felt the raven's lips against hers. She couldn't believe that her previous dream of having her first kiss with Sasuke will happen at this moment. _

_Sasuke broke the kiss seconds after, he doesn't want to create any commotions in the university park, especially that his blond friend is just few meters away from them. _

"_Sakura, I am serious." He said before holding her hand. "You know my number, just talk to me whenever you are ready." The raven finished before leaving the rosette standing still. Well, level one, **A.K.A. Confuse Sakura**: accomplished. Now he has to plan his next move for the next level — Looks like cupid is on his side._

"_Naruto, sorry for the long wait, I just finished some remaining business with your pal." The rosette apologized as she sat down beside the quiet blond._

"_Nah, i-it's okay, Sakura-chan, I've ordered our food." The blond answered before meekly muttering 'itadakimasu'._

_Guilt suddenly panged her heart for unknown reason, like she had unconsciously pained someone or herself. "Naruto?" The rosette asked with concerned face. But the blond just smiled in reply._

_"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. Let's just eat." The blond said before proceeding with his meal._

_"But Naruto..."_

* * *

"Naruto." The golden blond's eyes jolted open upon hearing his name, only to meet his uncle's dark ones. "Are you okay?" His uncle asked thoughtfully. The gray-haired man smiled afterwards as the blond blinked in reply. "My, my, you fell asleep in the couch again. What were you watching last night? You were talking in your sleep." his uncle asked before settling on his dearest armchair, with his favourite book held on hand.

"What did I say?" The blond asked in a husky voice.

His uncle hummed for seconds before shrugging and answered. "I can't really understand. You were speaking in Martian language, and clearly I have not learnt that language yet. Watching some sci-fi last night?"

"I… I wasn't watching anything." The golden blond responded as he yawned. He stretched his arms upwards upon feeling his uncle's presence beside him, and lazily slap-dashed his back on the backrest. "Sasuke approached us the other night." He unexpectedly confessed. Though it didn't earn him an exaggerated reaction from his uncle, rather, the gray-haired man took the matter at hand seriously and calmly.

"That explains your commitment lately with the couch. What happened?" Though calm and collect, the gray-haired man can't hide his curiousness and giddiness in his voice. "Did he talk to you? Did he push you in the lockers again? Bumped into another Akatsuki member?" he asked to his nephew who, on the one hand, just scratched his head at his uncle's questions.

"Kakashi-jii-chan, it's not like that—"

"Oh no..." The gray-haired man gasp, with both hands covering his masked face, Naruto just stared in return. By his uncle's reaction, the golden blonde could tell that it is possible that his uncle figured out what he was talking about. And it is also possible that his uncle might scold him and order him not to see or talk to the rosette again! Well their thesis book is almost finished, just the last chapter and it is good to go. And gray can also go back to the Animal Society where Sakura got him. But it is not the right time to assume things.

"What do you mean by 'oh no'?" Naruto asked as he cocked his head sideways before his uncle scared expression sink in his brain. "What is it?" he asked a bit panicky.

"Could it be..."

"I'm still safe-ttebayo. It's not about the Akataku why he approached me."

"So it is...?" Kakashi asked once more as he tried to kick out the cat that caught his tongue.

"I just said it is not!" The golden blond snapped, currently tensed on their situation.

And with each other's stare intensified. The gray-haired man finally managed to put the words he wanted to say together.

"Sasuke finally confessed his utmost passionate feelings towards you."

"Now why would he—WHAT THE FUCKING WHAT?!" Well that surely woke the golden blond.

"Just kidding."

"WHAT?! YOU GASP LIKE I HAVE DONE SOMETHING REALLY BAD AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU'RE JOKING?!" Naruto cried in annoyance that is close to a whine while Kakashi still remained calm. And collect.

"But you _did_ something wrong. But you look so serious, so I tried lightening up the mood."

"Tried? More like intended." The fully awaken golden blond uttered with a pout, causing the gray-haired to thought of a more playful approach.

"You should see your face." The gray-haired man teased before leaning backwards. Frankly, it worked, and the newly-awakened blond is now flamed up and is ready to attack his dear uncle.

"Shut up, dattebayo! It's nothing compared to your masked one." He said with a finger repeatedly pointing the masked face of his uncle.

"Why of course! This face hidden behind this mask is too handsome to compare to your surprised—constipated face."

"WHAT?!"

"And it's Akatsuki."

"WHATEVER!"

"So what happened to your date—er, meeting with the raven?" Kakashi asked, bringing back their previous topic.

"First Naruko, now you… why do you guys always associate Uchihas with birds-dattebayo?!"

"Hey, no changing of topic, what happened?"

"He didn't talk to me. He just said 'Hi Naruto' and talked to Sakura-chan like I'm not present." The blond gloomily said.

"Hm... Jealous?" Kakashi asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, I kind of was." Naruto concurred with a nod.

Kakashi then rubbed his chin, like he always does, and concluded. "So you're the one who has passionate feelings for Sasuke."

"Quit pairing me with that bastard because I am into a GIRL with pink hair and green eyes, thank you very much-ttebayo." The golden blond huffed afterwards with fist rocking back and forth inches away from his uncle's face.

"And I thought what you have for her is just a crush." His uncle replied coolly, making the blond cross his arms out of humiliation. Why does his uncle have to be almost always right about things?

"Yes, yes it is." Naruto replied as he avoided his uncle's teasing gaze. "Now on to my story, Sasuke talked to Sakura. In my view it looks like Sasuke's persuading her." He said before settling comfortably once more on the couch.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked curiously. First cold sweat fell behind his ear after. Of all things he can be bad at; it was resolving a problem regarding romance and relationship. But either was he has to help his nephew. Young he may be but sometimes sees the golden blond Uzumaki as his own son.

"Sakura-chan is teme's previous girlfriend."

"I see." Kakashi deadpanned as series of thoughts rushed in to his mind, looks like he can be good at this after all.

"What's with your reaction?" Naruto asked upon sensing something at his uncle's sudden change of tone.

"Does Sasuke know about your feelings towards Sakura?" the gray-haired man immediately asked, like he is solving a mysterious and complex case.

"No, only Shikamaru and Kiba, but knowing Sasuke, he must have seen it through. We are childhood friends-ttebayo." And that strengthened Kakashi's thought. But along the way, he began to recall his colleagues who kept flooding his cold mail inbox

"And that's why I always refuse Tobi's and Rin's party offers." The gray-haired man sighed as he slouched.

"What?"

"Nothing… but I was wondering what if Sasuke's just trying to tear you and Sakura apart?" Kakashi finally suggested.

"What made you think of that?" Naruto asked, and cocked his head sideways in confusion.

"By now, Itachi must have told him their current situation, our current situation. And maybe, since Sakura is his previous lover, he must be worried for Sakura-chan's safety, knowing the fact that our situation is far more dangerous than his." Kakashi reasoned. All hopes are high for the golden blond to understand his blabbering. Looks like the blond didn't.

"But I don't get it. Why make her fall for him again to distant her from me if his life is also in danger-ttebayo?" The blond exasperatedly asked with both hands flailing as if praising the Almighty. Kakashi sighed before elaborating his thoughts.

"Hmm... Maybe once he got her back, he would soon try to distant her from him by let's say, breaking her heart? But not to worry, all are just my theories."

"Geez, you are a lawyer. No wonder perv-jiji compared you to our dad once." Naruto complimented with a puckered lips. His uncle seemed to have a great point, though he cannot hide the fact that he's still against the idea of Kakashi being similar to Minato.

"Anyway, this is not the right time to problem such thing. We have to be alert, Orochimaru might attack anytime. Think of Sasuke's attempt on getting Sakura-chan back as an advantage. You do not want to endanger her life, do you?" Kakashi asked, as if talking to an eight year old boy.

"Of course not, I care too much for her-ttebayo." The blond meekly replied before pouting.

"Good, then just go with the flow. Your love life can wait. And if you two are really meant for each other, then there is nothing to worry about." Kakashi finished. He then stood up after stretching and thoughts of getting his grilled sandwich in the island flooded his mind.

"Who are we talking about this time?" Naruto asked as his gaze followed his uncle. Kakashi was tempted to play with his gullible nephew once more. But a hungry stomach is a hungry stomach, and the sandwich look so tasty.

"Honestly, I do not know. But like you said, you're a sucker for black eyes—"

"Her eyes are green I tell you, GREEN! When will you get it right-ttebayo?!"

"Then you know who we are talking about." Kakashi said before placed down his mask, and took a big bite from the sandwich.

Naruto shook his head and smirked at his uncle. Their relationship may not be an ideal one, but he is glad that Kakashi is always there when he needed support. He may not be that fatherly, but he's close to being a cool dad.

Just as he thought of joining his uncle in the island and snatch the sandwich his uncle was holding, Naruto's phone began to vibrate violently on the table like a possessed thing fighting for its life. He was hesitating to check it at first, but he did anyway, the vibrating sound is somewhat a bother to the ears and feels. It might be his belov—er Sakura. Maybe she wanted to meet with the blond or something.

But fortunately, Naruto didn't push the thought through and he was glad he did for it wasn't the rosette who visited his inbox. Though to his surprise, it was a message from the poo-whiff.

_Hey! This in an emergency. Meet me at the Simple Line Studio as soon as you receive this message. I'll be waiting there! Don't be late or I'll make Akamaru bite your ass._

"Now what is he up to?!" He asked out loud as his feet led him to the door like the text message has some manipulative power, allowing him to completely ignore his uncle's call.

* * *

Afternoon sun had finally set down in the sky with much lesser heat being transmitted below. The studio didn't change a thing, though the instruments and amplifiers did. The sound was amazing he wanted to stay in the studio forever. But of course, he had to graduate first to be able to pay the rentals and all. Almost everything comes with prices.

Kiba managed to arrive right on time after receiving a text from the lazy-ass Nara and his big-boned pal. And as always, he's the first one to arrive, he even managed to alter the message the spiky brunet told him to forward to the others. The rest of the band arrived minutes after, and he could not help but suppress a mighty laugh for the sake of humanity. Their faces were like Pollock's masterpieces — different splatter of colors rendering the white padded wall behind them. It started when Shikamaru, the one who told him to gather everyone in the studio, entered with a pale face like he hadn't slept for days, followed by Chouji who look so concerned and blue with his best friend. Then Naruto came together by unexpected measures with Sasuke, who both look so red with anger... Or maybe both are blushing with each other's presence? Who knows, right? Then everyone didn't make a sound for minutes since their feet touch-downed the studio as they lined up by the wall. They might need a card with their name and serial number written to finish the whole scenario.

Kiba made his first move by explaining everything to his previous band mates as to why they are gathered in the studio might as well grab the chance while they are all still silent and motionless.

"Every year, the Garden Cafe had traditionally celebrated Christmas with a grand party, opening its second half that leads to the Yamanaka's residence. Frantically, amazing it may sound, the cafe is connected to their residence and—"

"Cut to the chase." Everyone echoed in the room. At least they finally made their first sound.

"Our band was invited to perform." Kiba finished before settling himself on the stool by the drumset.

"How did we get invited? We were disbanded years ago—"

"We did not formally disband; everyone just went their own way." The brunet cut-off the raven who, on the one hand, scoffed at the reply; Kiba sighed and calmed himself. Yelling at his lead guitarist won't be a good move for now, he needs him. But it can't be helped; the raven is a bastard to begin with.

"It's the same banana..."

And then Kiba will suddenly snap in three, two... "NO IT IS NOT YOU PIECE OF BANANA LOVER!"

"Tomato." The raven calmly corrected.

"WHATEVER!" The brunet cried with both hands flailing. "So Chouji here and Shikamaru was originally invited by this Nineten—"

"Tenten."

"—and they accidentally mentioned our band and the rest is history." Kiba continued as if no spiky brunet corrected him. "Now grab your instruments and let's get this finished, maggots!"

And everyone just stood and blinked at the connotation.

"Too much?!" Kiba asked as he rubbed his nape. But not a single reply was given, nor any gestures. All just went to their respective places and adjusted the volume of their amplifiers, and the microphone, in Naruto's case.

"So what are we going to play?" The spiky brunet lazily asked before yawning, and Kiba could tell that all are just forced to do it. Looks like things will not turn well.

"Well..." he huskily uttered before clearing his throat. "It's been a while since we heard Naruto sing. Pick a song from our old set-list blondie, and we'll take it from there." Kiba attempted to casually reply, but somewhat failed during the process.

"Any song-ttebayo?!" the blond asked as he looked back at the brunet. He was answered with a nod. And without hesitations, he turned around and faced his band mates, with the mike adjusted few centimetres from his lips.

"YOU ARE MY FRIEND! Ahh ano—"

"WHAT THE FUCK, NOT THAT!" Kiba hollered as the drum stick found its way to the golden blond's temple.

"You told me to sing anything, so I sang, dattebayo!" he hollered back while rubbing his forehead and threw back the stick to its owner, in which the brunet flawlessly caught.

"From our old set-list, songs from our old set-list, not your old playlist, damn it."

"Could have said that earlier, dattebayo."

"I DID!"

"Let's just get over it. Sing anything BUT that song." Kiba responded. And as he claimed his win on the debate against the blond, he could not help but smile. Who would know the blond is still full of surprises?

_"This is the payoff, payoff. Now that we're on top we won't stop. Doing what we do is a dream come. We're never gonna give it up, we're never gonna stop, this is the payoff."_

Naruto stared blankly at his band mates. Not a motion was made, and all were also looking back at him. All could not help but smile, and the blond swore even the bastard Sasuke looked down with an imperceptible smirk.

"Heh, the last song we played together in our first ever gig." Kiba uttered as he aimlessly play with his drum stick.

"The song Naruto was supposed to sing if he hadn't finished a gallon of ice cream the night before." Shikamaru commented. And for the first time since everyone arrived, the studio began to flood with laughter, and reels of the good ol' days.

And as the drum kicks and the bass slides, the reels began playing all together, with the lead and rhythm opens the imaginary screen before their eyes.

* * *

_Remember when you got your first drum set?_

_And how we used to practice in the basement_

_When I was singing like Billie Joe._

_"You do know we're not allowed to wander off away from the orphana—"_

_"Quit yapping, blondie, this won't take long. Once we drag Shikamaru and Chouji we'll head back once more to our basement and play some good beats." The ten-year old Kiba hissed as he repeatedly rang the doorbell in the Nara residence. _

_"But you just got your drum set. And how did you know the two can play?" The young raven asked. _

_"Well, you both missed the talent show last year. Chouji really can play the guitar, and well, Shikamaru plays the bass, though I'm not sure if he likes playing it. But he can." Kiba explained before resuming to his previous task._

_And to his glee, it was the young Nara who lazily head to the gate to welcome them, with Chouji behind him. _

_"I thought our play practice starts tomorrow?" The young Nara lazily responded while continuously rubbing the nape of his neck._

_"No Shikamaru, this is not about the play. By the way, look who I stole in the orphanage." Kiba replied as he pointed the two people accompanying him with his thumb with a feral grin. In which the blond misinterpreted the brunet's happiness in showing them to the young Nara._

_"OI, we're not some kind of prisone—"_

_"Urosai, usuratonkachi." Sasuke hissed in annoyance. He had grown tired of Kiba dragging them from place to place, and now Naruto's childish yapping._

_"Usura-what?!" Kiba echoed in curiosity. And with a single blink, the brawling between the golden blond and the raven began._

* * *

_Summer time came in with a concert_

_McDonald's wouldn't let me book it off work_

_So I call in sick the night of the show._

_"I know it's still early."_

_"Oh geez, you know." Shikamaru sarcastically commented, earning him a glare from his co-brunet who was about to make a speech, being the leader of the band and all._

_"This is our first and hopefully not our last gig after six or seven years of jamming in our basement. Where's the spirit?!" Kiba enthusiastically uttered. But all he ever earned was clearing of throats from his blond vocalist._

_"Damn it, are you sick, Naruto?!" Kiba growled a decided to shake the poor blond in sight._

_"N-n-not really. But I'm pretty useless now-ttebato." Naruto replied in a very husky voice. Kiba heaved a heavy sigh and handed his electric guitar to Naruto. _

_"You will play the rhythm, Chouji take the lead. Sasuke, you sing." _

_"Have you forgotten why you placed me on the guitar before?!" Sasuke reasoned. And flashbacks of the raven's monotonous voice singing Kimi Monogatari came rushing in. "Damn it, then who will sing?!"_

_"I was thinking you would, Kiba." Naruto butted in. "Your voice is louder than me. Your voice always overpowers mine whenever we play in your basement-ttebayo."_

_"I agree." Chouji and Shikamaru concurred in unison._

_"But I'm playing the drums—"_

_"You always sing while playing the drums." Sasuke added, earning him a glare from the brunet._

_"Why do you have a husky voice too? Did you and Naruto screamed at each other last night?!" __Kiba scolded._

_"We just ate a gallon of ice scream..." the blond explained. And good thing the host of the party called them out to perform just before the brunet could scold them once more._

_And without anything to do, Kiba lead them all with instructions being thrown at them sternly._

_"Naruto, head to the microphone and lip-sync; Chouji, make sure Naruto's microphone is turned off. I'll do the singing; let us all hope no one will notice. Shikamaru you'll be my back-up and don't 'mendokuse' me you lazy-ass. Sasuke, do not utter a thing. Finally..." He stopped as he faced them one last time before entering the stage. "This is the payoff of our jamming almost every day in our basement. Let's enjoy this." He said before disappearing through the door._

* * *

_Remember getting drunk around the campfire_

_Writing songs about becoming rock stars_

_We never ever thought it would go this far._

_Their performance ended, together with the cold night. For others, it was goodbye. For others, it's just the beginning_

_"Troublesome it may be, but cheer up. This may be our last gig for now. But if we all believe that someday, it will happen again, it will."_

_"I agree with Shikamaru."_

_"You always agree with him-ttebayo..."_

_"So till then?" The brunet uttered before raising his hand forward_

_"Hn, till then..." The raven followed and placed his hand on top of the brunet. Then all came in after the other._

_"Till then dattebayo!"_

_"Yeah..."_

_"Looking forward to that day!"_

_And together, they threw their hands up in the air, with a promise kept inside their heart._

* * *

_"Can't stop, can't stop, won't stop. Won't stop, no, we can't stop." _

Everyone stopped with a contented smile stamped on their face. Heart filled with happiness. They have waited for this moment to happen once more. And now that it did, it would be very painful if it will end so soon.

"Hn, not bad, if you all are planning to perform in front of children; this is pathetic." Sasuke commented as he placed down the guitar. Kiba tried to relax once again. But it was rather easy this time, for the blond seemed to be grouching with anger. Now he really wondered what happened between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Teme, we are just checking if we can still play—" a stern reply from the blond was thrown to the raven. But he was soon disrupted by the said raven himself.

"And I'm saying we can't." Sasuke deadpanned. "We all had to admit, our happy-good-old days are over."

"No…" Naruto calmly murmured, making Kiba rose from his throne and attempted to calm the blond who's nearing his boiling-point.

Chouji and Shikamaru remained near the raven, making it not too obvious that they're keeping an eye on him if ever he snapped first. Well at least they managed to finish a song before they formally disband their group, if ever it will lead to that.

"This is about Sakura, ne, Sasuke?" Naruto uttered, and Sasuke cannot deny the fact that the golden blond did shot the bull's eye. It would be easier for him after all, if he would also drive his blond friend away as well.

"Don't include Sakura in this conversation; she has nothing to do with our band. While your tiny brain processes the thought, might as well add this — never _ever_ mention her name in my presence." The raven sternly addressed to the blond, together with the Uchiha trademark glare which Naruto is so immune to. The blond can't even understand why, for many years, Sasuke can't realize that the Uchiha glare will do no harm on him anymore?

"Then I claim my win, for this _is_ about her all along." Naruto declared as he levelled his glare to match the young Uchiha before him. The blond is really tempted to punch his old friend's face, if it wasn't for Kiba who's holding him back, literally holding his back, with both hands ready to pull his shirt if ever he made a single step towards the raven. He could also tell that his other two friends are also ready to stop any fight that might happen between him and the raven. It's been a while since they've gathered all together as a band, and he knew that he should be the one to just let everything pass for the sake of keeping the group intact. The raven _is_ a one heck of an asshole.

Sasuke only replied a smirk. Looks like the blond won't give up too soon. But he got to do this for the sake of his game. He cannot turn back away from what he had started, it would ruin his pride, his dignity, and not to mention his good-looks points. He became famous with the girls because of his strong will and natural handsome face, and backing out from his plan will only make him look like a coward who can't even do anything to save the life of the girl he loved once, and yes, his blond friend's life as well.

"Usuratonkachi, can't you get things straight that this is about you and not Sakura. You're an eyesore, and an ear-sore. Have you heard yourself sing?" The raven insulted. It was addressed so harsh that he gladly let all his guards down and let Kiba shove him to the wall. He didn't mean to hurt anyone, but he has to do it. He has to tear everyone apart if he wants to save them all. He'll just explain everything when the war between the big names in the business industry finally ends. They will all understand why he did such things soon. He just can't let his friends suffer just because of the name he is carrying. The name he currently loathed.

"Why the heck are you acting so fucking sick right now, Sasuke?" Kiba agitatedly asked while shaking the raven back and forth on the wall.

"Sick?" Sasuke echoed before reversing their position. "You're the one who is sick! Believing that we can still make music like the old times, what a pathetic person you have become." He ended as he released the brunet and shoved him to the wall in the process. "I'll let you all work on your pathetic dreams. Count me out in the process, pathetic beings."

Kiba could not believe what he just heard from the raven. Never for once did Sasuke spoke to him in such manner. He used to be a good person, he was even the one who taught him how to get girls in just a snap — and it was indeed very effective — it upset him for he never thought that the day they will gather as a band after few years, will also be the day where he will lose, with fur-balls in the throat, a very good friend.

"Are we still in?" Shikamaru asked as he leaned by the door, in case the brunet or the blond decide to chase after the asshole raven. Luckily neither of the two did. And as if nothing happened, Kiba coolly headed back to his throne, as Naruto sat by the wall-mounted bench with the microphone at hand.

"Yeah, we're still in…" Kiba said in a casual tone, the raven's catwalk out of the studio room completely forgotten. "Men never take back his words, ne, Naruto?" The brunet happily addressed to the golden blond with his feral grin. Naruto replied with an exact grin and nodded I agreement.

"Chouji, you'll be the lead this time." Kiba addressed to his big-boned pal who happily accepted the task.

"Naruto, you can sing while playing the rhythm, right?" he addressed this time to the golden blond who excitedly took hold of the guitar Chouji handed him over.

"I'll do my best-ttebayo!" Naruto said in an encouraged tone.

All decided not to mind the raven's actions. All decided to act like nothing happened, even though deep inside, they crave for the raven's reason for his sudden change of attitude. All decided to forget all the problems that has been bugging them for the past days — Shikamaru's frustration in discovering how on earth Temari's brother is alive, and how his girlfriend is avoiding him for the past days after the hacking job; Chouji's curiosity as to what is bothering his best friend; and the sudden information being stuffed into Naruto's brain regarding the current actions of the Akatsuki. All are just tired of what is happening to their lives, but preferred to be happy even just for a moment, together with the rest of the gang, playing the music they love like the old times.

* * *

"Oi, you have not muther fucking spoken for ten fucking minutes now ya know. Are you fucking sure you're not fucking taking me to another bank, shit head?!" A silver-haired man in suit and tie shrieked at his business partner while walking through a busy street. Both had agreed earlier that they would just walk and hid their car somewhere in the forest before they enter the city of Konoha. They both thought it would be safer that way. But after several hours of stopping by at every bank they pass by, the silver-haired man can only wish he did not let his partner tell him to leave his precious car.

"I am definitely sure, you Cath—" As always, his tailor friend was interrupted once more. He just can't get his partner's religion right.

"I fucking am a fucking _**Jashinist**_, you mother fucking shit head! Get it right muther fucker." The silver Jashin-worshipper yelled once more to his partner who in return, sighed in annoyance.

"Yes, yes." The brunet tailor sarcastically replied. The Jashin-worshipper looked around the high-end city until the University of Konoha caught his eyes. It was truly wonderful, and not to mention peaceful looking. A perfect place indeed for his rituals, if only his partner would understand the value of the rituals to his religion.

"So where the fuck are you fucking taking me?" The silver-haired asked before taking a peek at his watch—it is nearly nightfall, and they need to look for a place to stay in. And by the view he's currently gazing at, it looks like he had a place in thought.

"This is the problem when you always look at our lady boss' ass. You just don't do that. And it's either you do that, or you worship this All—" The tailor commented as he mentally slapped his forehead for being paired with someone with a lousy mouth and unheard religion.

"Shit head, it's Jashin for the sake of fucks, JASHIN!" The silver-haired hollered right through his partner's ears, making sure that the tailor will remember his religion, and his god this time.

"No need to shout, blood mouth."

"And what the fuck's with the fucking nickname?"

"It suits you. You're verbal whatsoever just never fail to bleed my ear. It will cost my company millions if my doctor claims I have ear damage. And it's all thanks to you." The tailor explained. He just wanted a day away from his partner. Even just for a day, it's enough to rest his bleeding ears.

"Hospital bills don't fucking even cost that goddamn much you fucker. Besides, you are fucking used to it. We've been business partners for many fucking fucked-up years." The silver-haired reasoned, earning him a heavy long sigh from his partner.

"And believe it or not, it never fails." The tailor exhaled, before dragging his partner to a building, much to the Jashin-worshiper's dismay. But it's alright; he will still have a wonderful view of the university.

"Just tell me what the fuck we are fucking doing here in this fucked-up place?!"

"The Uchiha brothers, we are ordered to eliminate them." The tailor answered as they check-in a room.

"Oh no, I don't want to fucking end up like that fucking fish-fucker—er fish fucking lover." Mocked by the silver-haired, earning him a grunt from his partner, which is good because it only means the Jashin-lover getting into his partner's nerves.

"That is exactly why we have to eliminate them first before that long haired Uchiha eliminates us." The tailor heavily replied as they took the stairs, and gave way to a gray-haired man who's in a hurry to go down in a sequence.

"For a shit head, you are fucking smart." The silver-haired man uttered contently.

"Because you are the only one who calls me that, I tell you, someday you got to pay in papers for calling me shit head." The tailor pointed out before proceeding to another flight of stairs.

"Heh, as long as I can still fucking say fucks and you get my fucking religion right, I might fucking pay in muther fucking cash." The silver-haired seriously said with a smirk plastered on his face. In his luck, his partner's always on the lead, he could make any face he wants.

"No lies this time?" The tailor asked, in hope that his partner is saying the truth this time. He doesn't want to be fooled again for the nth time.

"Yeah, no fucking lies shit head. No fucking lies." And finally, they have reached their temporary place—Room 713.

_—**End of Part 14—**_

* * *

**A/N: **Fortunately, Cupid is on Sasuke's side, but it's still early to conclude his win in the game. And as minashito suggested, let's play a game! Can y'all tell how many 'fucks' did the Jashinist said in this chapter? :))

So yeah, stay tuned folks. And I promise I will do my very best to update as fast as I can.

Take care as always :)

**PS:** Hey guys! Please don't get me (and this chapter) wrong. This is **STILL** a_** NaruSaku**_. Hard to believe but I cannot tolerate the pairing, SasuSaku (no shit, I really can't). And yeah, Sasuke and Sakura just kissed. It's just a kiss so yeah, don't put any meaning to it and just patiently wait for the next chapter. Just trust me on this as the writer of this fan fiction. Everything that I wrote/typed in this fiction are all related to one another, imagine it as a puzzle-you need to fill up the spaces to get the picture, and to fill up the spaces you need the pieces. Yeah, I hope I'm still making sense to you guys.

So yeah, I repeat, THIS IS STILL A **NARUSAKU** FIC. Yeah. Thank y'all for reading :)

Hope it was a satisfying read. :)


	15. Moral Lesson: Watch Where You're Going

******THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY**** PART 15**

**-Moral Lesson: Watch Where You're Going-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**_minashito_-sama**, you know you're the best. Thank you for being my editor. :)

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

**WARNING: **FIRST SCENE CONSIST OF **SasuSaku. **I repeat, just read the previous sentence again :)) But despite of that scene, may I repeat once that **THIS FAN FICTION IS STILL NARUTOxSAKURA **so I'm not going to change the filter.This would most likely be the last SasuSaku scene so please deal with it for now, folks.

I'm really sorry y'all. It's just, I really need to write that scene for my plot. Trust me, this is still a NaruSaku fan fiction. I really can't promise anything _for now_, but I'll do my very best to focus more on the growing relationship of Naruto and Sakura, and the enemies' plan against the good guys. and yeah, more revelations, more romance, more laughs, and this is starting to turn into an author's note than a warning. Happy reading, folks!

* * *

Class just ended for the rosette and she was happy enough that Ino preferred to force her childhood friends, and their band mates to help her set up the café for the upcoming Christmas celebration, than kick her out of the living room and drag her by force. Who would have thought that Shikamaru and Chouji have a band? She clearly thought the two were not into such thing, especially the spiky brunet. Surprisingly, he was the one who by accident, shared a very inspirational story about their band when she and the pearlescent were evaluating the videos the bands send for the audition. One can never truly judge a book by its cover nowadays.

"_I want to talk to you. You said wanted to settle everything between us. Then here is your chance, Sakura."_

Yes, Sakura did judge the raven the other day. Who can't blame her? It is hard to trust someone who crushed you down again, it's not that easy at all. But the 'what ifs' and regrets won't do much now, and sooner or later she has got to take the risk and settle things between them if she doesn't want to make things more complicated. Heck, it is already complicated in every angle-turn. But if she gives in to what Sasuke's trying to put an act to… what will happen to Naruto in the picture? And how on earth did she end up thinking about the golden blond?

It was tempting enough to call the raven knowing that her phone is just lying beside her by the rug. She has been slug for the whole day. Come to think of it, she's somewhat sluggish whenever she's not with the pig, or the golden blond. Of course, Naruto is somewhat of a maladroit blond, and Ino is a perfectionist and likes to have everything _her way_. Slugging in their presence would bring so much commotion to the world, her world in particular. The only person who experienced her indolent persona was the raven himself. But that was the only angle Sasuke saw and discovered. If one will evaluate, the said raven had never saw her cry in so much pain for losing her father that she ended up sprinting to the nearest tree to have her moment; he had never saw her so happy that she would just hug anyone for receiving a perfect grade; and he had never _ever_ experienced her _love-triggered_ smacking. And that's why, troublesome it may seem, she has to settle all her unfinished business with Sasuke. He did finally give her a chance to talk everything out with him, grabbing the chance won't hurt anyone. Well, maybe her feelings. But if all things fail, she knew that the pig, her mother, and hopefully, the crazy blond who is full of surprises, still got her back. Hopefully…

_If he failed to answer my call after three rings, it's over, _she mentally noted to herself as she took hold of her phone, still lying in the rug, and searched the raven's name in the contacts. She was rather surprise to find the raven's name; she had long thought that she had erased it after their break-up. Looks like she was too busy sulking over it that she had forgotten to actually delete it, but who wouldn't have a major break down? Sasuke had left her high and dry and the worst part was, he had allowed her to fall from that tower height cliff and let her crashed in the solid concrete. She almost died, and Sakura can't believe she almost thought of forgiving him right away after their short kiss. Her first ever kiss. And she couldn't make up her mind if she would loathe it, or just love it. She did long for it to happen… when they were still together. Yehey, wish granted.

And without further ado, the rosette clicked the raven's number and lazily placed it on her ear before hearing the first ring.

"_Hello, Sakura?" _Fuck. Clearly, the rosette was not expecting the raven to answer that quickly. She jolted up with eyes almost bulging out from its sockets, and silently took a deep breath. _"I've been waiting for your calls for days, I'm glad you finally did." _She heard him spoke in relief from the other line.

With a fur-ball trapped in her throat, she found herself completely loss for words. She failed to remember her purpose for calling the raven that she almost threw her phone outside the open window in distress. But she has to put herself together. She has to finish these mind boggling questions in her head before she goes psycho. More importantly, she has to settle things to take away all the weight inside her heart and mind. Well, having the thought of throwing her phone out of the window sure brought back her senses.

"Meet me at the Sushi Restaurant at four in the afternoon sharp." She rapped before ending the call and literally threw her phone in the sofa. She doesn't want to hear any objections from the raven. She doesn't want him to hear speak more words, period. It was hard enough for her to contemplate whether she would talk to the said raven or not, what more if the raven speaks unnecessary things like the other day in the park just to convince her to talk to him? And why so sudden?

She lay in the rug for few more minutes that turned into an hour as the previously short hand in the clock pointing at the number two struck the third digit. She was rather formulating the lines that she would tell him, but looks like the fur-ball also clogged all the cells in her brain. Having the thought of running time as she glanced at the clock, she immediately stood up from the rug and tucked both her phone and wallet inside her pockets. She grabbed her keys hung on the wall along the way, and made her departure from their apartment room.

The travel time from their apartment to the restaurant is thirty minutes or more, depending on the events that might happen outside. Luckily she doesn't have a car, traffic is completely out of her problem, though riding one would make her life easier and she might arrive there fifteen minutes earlier than the raven. And why does she even freaking care who arrives first in the restaurant? It would be best if she would let the raven wait there. She had long waited for the raven to explain his reasons. And now that she is almost in the brink of moving on, he came crashing into her life again with his majestic entrance. Talk about grand balls, and Cinderella stories, his entrance beat those fairy-tale stuffs. And as she strolled down the pavement with thoughts full of the raven, hoping that his tongue is continuously bleeding because of constant biting at the moment, who would have thought that bumping at someone was not part of the unfortunate events on the street?

"Ow, d-d-dattebayo!" The _stranger_ uttered in a voice that is close to a whine. "OW!" Then it became a whine, more or less. The said _stranger_ immediately glanced at the rosette who slapped him with no apparent reason to appeal. He deserved justice for being slapped in the face without even doing anything but bump accidentally into someone. Unless he fortuitously fondled something that he shouldn't then that's a different story. But after several blinks, his brain finally recognized the person who slapped him and managed to remembered that he only knows one girl with such hair color. And strength. "Sa-Sakura—" And another slap was received again by the golden blond.

His blue eyes met her green once more and found herself lost for words again. She mentally slapped her forehead for doing such thing and forced herself to think of an explanation to the confused blond. "Th-there was a fly on your face." She stammered before returning back to her senses, and her main purpose of leaving came rushing back, and maybe she deserved another mental forehead-slap for hitting the poor blond's face. She nonchalantly shook her head after delivering her nonsensical reason and followed-up.

"Sorry, Naruto, but I'm in a hurry." Having said that, she walked away as fast as she can. Time is surely running and the sooner she finished her business with the raven, the faster she can move on with her life. Thhinking about the _'now'_, the faster she gets away from the golden blond, the quicker she'll welcome her sanity's comeback.

Her casual _jog_ soon turned into an athletic sprint as she accidentally passed by a clock store displaying their finest clocks by the window, letting her know that fifteen minutes had already passed. She's not even halfway to the finish line. She doesn't even know why she's chasing time when time should be chasing her.

She halted as she reached the intersection to catch her breath. She pushed back the dangling fringes with one hand, as the other rested on her knee as she squat a little.

"I had moved on… why do you have to return?" She exhaustedly muttered to herself before stretching upwards, and began strolling her way once more to her destination.

* * *

Seven minutes and four seconds. That's how long he had waited for the rosette. Not that he cares about the time; he was more worried whether the said girl will come. Thank goodness she did the moment he spoke too soon about it. Sasuke then brushed up his bangs obscuring his vision, together with all the impatience and doubts he collected, and happily welcomed the rosette whose reaction he cannot decipher. He doesn't even know if she's truly willing to talk to her or some unknown entity just forced her to do so. But either way she came, and that's what matter most.

"Sakura, I was worried you wouldn't come." He said as he stood up to offer her a chair. But he was a bit slow than his usual speed and the rosette finally settled in to a chair across him. He returned back to his seat and aimlessly tapped his fingers on the wooden table.

"Nervous?"

"What?" He asked as he raised his head to meet her gaze.

"You always tap your fingers whenever you're nervous," she expressionlessly explained. "You can maintain your stoic look, your cool demure. But when nervousness strikes to the highest peak, you lose control of your fingers." She continued, both stern eyes locked on his. "What are you so nervous about?" She irately taunted.

The raven allowed a smirk to grow on his face and relaxed his back on the chair. "Hn, don't assume things, Sakura."

"So what do you want to talk about?" She threw back.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to settle things?" He asked before rejecting the waiter to take his order for the second time. The first one of course, was when he arrived at the restaurant.

"And I'm beginning it with the question 'what'." She shot once more. "What were your reasons for leaving me, and what are your reasons for coming back. That's all I want to know."

"Hn, I was expecting more from you." He teased as he tapped his fingers once more on the table.

"Finding it hard to answer the two questions that you needed an alibi not to answer it?" She mocked backed as she leaned forward with both arms resting on top of the table.

The raven narrowed his eyes, as if trying to decode what's on the rosette's mind, looks like she had changed a lot; and looks like he'd be enjoying this game of roulette.

"What do you think the answers are?" He sternly asked as his fingers continuously jabbed the table

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking." She innocently answered, teasing the raven before him in all hopes that this conversation will end soon.

Having no intentions to pull the trigger, Sasuke considered himself defeated and relaxed his tapping fingers. "What I said to you before was true, my life is truly is in the verge of disaster. And I had to head back to Konoha and leave the province to confirm if the rumours about my brother being alive were true."

"And he is alive, so you're aiming to go back from where we ended it and start over again, or you have something else in mind?"

"You hit the bull's eye."

"And you expect me to just give in to your dramas?" Sakura scoffed before rolling her eyes.

"I still love you—"

"And what if I tell you I had moved on?" she sternly replied, her gaze creating holes on his dark eyes.

The raven remained silent and smiled to himself as his eyes fall on his lap. "Then I will court you once more." He sincerely answered. "I really am willing to bring back what we had before." He finished before allowing the silence to surround them.

Sakura's gaze remained intact on him as she contemplated whether to believe the raven or not. But in all honesty, she had never seen him so sincere in her whole entire life of knowing him. She had never saw him this gentle, and he even managed to release a smile rather than his usual smirks.

"Hn, do you remember the first time Mayu-oba-san and I arrived in your humble home?" He asked out of the blue, still avoiding the rosette's gaze.

"What about it, Sasuke?" Stern as ever, Sakura shot it to the raven without hesitations in mind.

"It was the first time to stay in a province. We were having a hard time looking for a place to stay in that day, when Mayu-oba-san's childhood friend, your mother, accidentally bumped in to one another…. We were just about to stay in for lunch but—"

"Mother and Mayu-san had a wonderful conversation that mother forgot to give father's medication. Father collapsed in the living room and Mayu-san treated him. Then mother decided to hire Mayu-san as father's personal nurse till we graduate high school and head back together in Konoha for college." Sakura finished as she reminisced their good times together.

She could still remember everything — both of them were in sophomore back then, and every year they always end up seating beside each other in every class. And boy, it was a disaster. Sasuke's fans began hating her, but that's what made her strong, and the most fearful girl in class. She can still remember how Sasuke begged her to pretend that they are dating for a months to save his life from screaming girls and stalkers, than soon became true. And she can still remember how he just disappeared together with Mayu-san without leaving a single word, only the letter Sasuke wrote about breaking up with her and his life being in danger.

And that led her back to her question about trusting the raven. Is he really sincere enough not to break her heart? It is true the he still loves her, and that their break-up was to save her live from danger? What if she accepts him again and he breaks her heart for the second time? Come to think of it though, Sasuke was not the kind who would waste his time waiting for the girl he left before just to say such things. And Sasuke was never the kind who would show his weak side in the public. Is Sasuke really worth of trusting?

"Come here." She sternly said, breaking the silence between them, startling the raven before her who obeyed without any hesitations with both hands resting on the table.

"Closer." This time, because of the sudden change of her voice, and a smile on her face was visible. He then leaned closer, as she did. And closer, closer, closer… until their faces were inches away from the other, with lips slightly apart… and closer, and closer, and — _**SLAP!**_

"What was that for?!" Sasuke retorted with eyes wide open as he slowly felt the pain by his jaw. Immediately, he turned his face towards the rosette with a glare so intense it could kill a boar. The rosette soon smirked triumphantly at the raven as she gained her win in the battle.

"You were far away. I couldn't reach you so I told you to come closer. Wasn't expecting it will be an inch close, so I took advantage of it."

"Hn, have you not—"

"Suck it up, Uchiha. You're aiming for the heavens." She interrupted before deciding to leave the stoned raven. She somewhat felt so happy about it, like a heavy load was lifted from her – she had moved on, and it was rather a wonderful achievement he had ever done since her college life began, aside from trusting another man again.

"Sakura." The raven called out just before she stood up. Sasuke, as he earned Sakura's attention once more, cleared his throat before he gave her some notes to take down.

"Naruto…" He uttered before looking straight to the rosette's eyes. "He's a good person, and he really cares for you. And I… I still love you, but as a friend and a sister. For the sake of your safety, stay away from us for a while till this bullshit ends." He ended. Sakura then smiled weakly and muttered, _thanks,_ seconds before she completely stood up from her seat. He watched her walked away until she clearly disappeared from the door. His mission failed, but it was a drop in a bucket. He must say, he did feel a little bit lighter that before. Now all he has to do is head back to their secret hide-out before his brother discovers that he sneaked out. But before that, he had to finish yet another business with this special person whom he ordered to hear out his conversation with the rosette. It is the least he could do for being such a bastard, in which he knew will never change, though there are considerations.

"I'm not really sure why you sent me a message, ordering me to come here. But I must say that slap was really painful, dattebayo!" The person whome Sasuke ordered to come snickered as he joined the raven in the table.

"Painful in what way, dobe?!" The raven mocked badly. He was somewhat glad the golden blond did not completely throw away their friendship. The blond even managed to understand the raven's real intention without giving his thoughts.

"So I heard your conversation with Sakura, what now?" Naruto asked before giving a preaching remark. "You thought that she would just give in to your sweet talks? You just don't do that. Do not belittle Sakura. I may not know your previous relationship with her, but she's a stronger person now."

"Yes, yes I did. And yes, I know that she changed for good. But for the sake of her life, I formulated this game."

The raven explained before rejecting the very same waiter who ask for his order for the third time.

"And your game is to tear everyone apart to save lives? You're no hero, Sasuke."

"At least I tried." Sasuke scoffed painfully before transforming into an emotional lad once more. "Unlike you, I only have few people whom I care the most. Might as well secure them before they all... Before..."

"They disappear..." Naruto filled-in in a melancholic tone.

Sasuke ran out of words to reply. The blond was painfully correct. The number of people he cared for does not even exceeds the number of his fingers. It would be really shameful if he let one be chopped off the palm. Sasuke then released an imperceptible sigh before eying the clip pinned on the hem of the blond's shirt.

"Sakura was looking for the founder of the clip right?" The raven asked out of the blue, earning him a curious look from the blond.

"Yeah. She still thinks it's Sai-ttebayo."

"Tell her it was you."

"Wha—"

"There are two clips..."

"WHAT?" Naruto cried on his breath just before remembering that both of them are in public place. The blond tried to settle comfortably once more on his seat, but found out he couldn't. Why can't he? It's just a clip. Though, maybe it was the thought of feeding his brain once more with the rosette's relationship with the raven again, Sasuke's version this time.

"I gave her two clips a week before our break up, before the rumours about Itachi being alive. It was personalized so no clip will have the same design as that clip you have right now." The raven explained. And he was somewhat thankful that the blond chose to remain silent and listen to his blabbering quietly, instead of cutting him of like what the rosette previously did. "I don't know what happened to the other pair, but she threw one pair at me when we broke up. I was about to throw it away but I just can't so I always have it with me. Until it fell off my pockets when Chouji and Sai were playing in the water."

"Why are you telling me this now?" The blond asked dourly as he suddenly felt week inside. He never thought what he believed in before were just his ego's invention. Of course, him finding the rosette's doesn't mean that the two of them are destined for each other. And yes, so maybe he did form a little crush on the rosette the first time he laid his eyes on hers. No wonder the rosette recognized the clip right away, it was dedicatedly meant for her, and made for her.

"I thought you'd give it to your mother." The raven answered. "I thought it would be better that way because I just can't help but feel guilty whenever I look at it. The fact that I never loved her in such way and had it as the reason for our breakup and losing someone I consider as my sister hurts."

"And now?" The blond asked, hoping for some things that he knew deep inside that it's impossible to happen. Though Naruto was expecting the raven to read his thoughts, as he can easily read his — they aren't childhood friends for nothing.

"Don't worry, I still see her as my sister."

"And Naruko?" Naruto unexpectedly shot. And indeed, it caught the raven off-guard.

"Hn, what about her?"

"The kiss, dattebayo."

"She told you?" Well, the raven was not surprised, Naruko was open to his brother ever since. The sunflower blonde really didn't change a thing.

"Yeah."

"Just hormones." Sasuke replied with a shrug as if it was nothing. It really was nothing. He actually doesn't know why he did that. And what is better off to do than to blame the hormones.

"Teme, don't you ever do that again to her!" Naruto growled with shaking fist in the mid-air.

"Hn, won't happen again. But promise me one thing."

"What is it-ttebayo?"

"Stay away from Sakura, and from everyone."

"I will if you will." The blond responded with a smirk.

"Already did, usuratonkachi." The raven said in _as-a-matter-of-fact _tone before levelling his smirk to the blond.

"Heh, see you when I see you, dattebayo."

"Hn, you better go, knowing Sakura, she would not head home right away. Might stop by in some stores."

"Yeah, she is like that. Ja." Naruto uttered before leaving the raven to catch up with the rosette.

And for the fourth time, and the last time, Sasuke declined the waiter's offer to take his offer once more before heading to the other exit, the emergency exit to be exact, which is most likely a farther route to his secret hide-out with his brother. It is better than to exit the same door with the person who just said good bye to you, now that would be very redundant because they have to say good bye to each other once more.

But who would have thought that he had made a very wrong decision. He could have just bid farewell to his blond pal once more than bump into another Akatsuki.

"Watch where you're going you muther fuck—hey…" The silver-haired man hummed with a smirk. "Look who loves sushi." The man remarked before grabbing the wrist of the casually escaping raven.

Sasuke attempted to threw a punch at the man who caught him, but the silver-haired man caught his other wrist and he is now being dragged to their car.

"Come with us calmly to avoid commotions, Uchiha Sasuke." The tall man ordered. But Sasuke was stubborn and he tried to break out from the two men's grip. But the two were rather strong and well built, and not to mention tall, he has no match for them in physical terms. But in terms of brains and cleverness, he might stand a chance.

Sasuke allowed himself to be dragged until their grip loosened a little, allowing him to hit his side to the wall, triggering the tracker to send signal to his brother without his two killers knowing. And in less than a minute, to his surprise, a black car came rushing in out of nowhere and is aiming to crash in to the two killers to the wall. The two men felt the car's presence and released the young Uchiha by mistake. The door in the passenger's seat opened widely as the car made its attempt to bump the two men, allowing the young Uchiha to get in just before the care made its grand exit with screeching wheels. Sasuke looked through the window at the back and saw the silver-haired cursing and yelling at his giant partner, just before his brother interrupted him.

"You were supposed to stay inside." The older raven sternly said with an impassive face.

"I just went out to finish something—"

"You could have told me." Itachi interrupted before turning the car.

"Where are we heading?" the younger raven asked as he observe the foreign buildings. It's been a long time since he roamed around the city of Konohagakure; a lot of things did change in a matter of few years.

"Can't you understand our situation? That our life, your life, is in deep danger? Can't you—"

"That is why I have to tell her nii-san!" Sasuke explained as he faced his. "I need to settle things with her. I didn't expect to bump into another Akatsuki."

Itachi sighed in reply. Surely he cannot stay mad at his brother for too long, especially that the two only managed to adjust with each other days ago. He really can't blame his foolish little brother. He would do the same if he was in his brother's position. But the two Akatsuki members his younger brother met are unfortunately, the second biggest share holders in the company, and a very gutsy duo too. They were the one who welcomed him in the Akatsuki Corporation, and they were the duo who wanted to chop his head off so badly for tricking them for several years. And knowing the two, they can pretty much get what they want with the money they have so taking his brother's head is not a big deal for them.

"We'll head home, and you're locked-in there until I tell you that you can go out, understand?" Itachi strictly ordered to his brother before turning into another street.

"Hai, nii-san." Sasuke agreed. Arguing with his brother would be useless anyway. There is no other way to negotiate his freedom to his nii-san. And Itachi is right, he's always right. Damn him for being the oldest.

* * *

The rosette merrily headed back to their apartment, with little groceries at hand, and decided to clean up the mess she made in the living room before heading to the café. She just can't wait to tell everything to the pig. More importantly, she can't wait to meet her childhood buddies' band mates. She is curious about it. But as she drew near to their place, a golden blond unpredictably awaits her by the stairs. She was about to wave happily at him when her eyes met his, but by the way he approached her and his facial expressions, looks like she's in for the bad news ahead.

"Sakura-chan, I agree with Sasuke, stay away from us." He said as he stopped before her with a fuel at hand. "And if you're heading to the café after, don't." He followed. "Unfortunately, I'm one of Shikamaru and Chouji's band mates. My presence is highly required-ttebayo." Then the blond poured the fuel to the fire, can things get any worse than that?

Sakura scoffed at the thought before turning around and faced the blond's back. "So you were eavesdropping?"

"No, Sasuke told me." Naruto melancholically responded. "Maybe he thought that you wouldn't do what he told you so he asked me to—"

"Tell me to stay away…" She softly finished as tears began to swell in her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but find it hard to. The blond was not looking anyway. "Really, what is wrong with you all?!"

"It is better for everyone-ttebayo."

"Yes, yes it is." She sarcastically said before rushing in inside their apartment with unshed tears. But Naruto caught her wrist just in time and turned her around.

"Look, Sakura-chan, I really care for you."

"And you think I don't?!" She retorted before shoving the blond's hand away. "Don't... Don't you think I'm worried about you as much as you worry about me? I... I don't even... My life is not even in danger!" She finished before entering inside, slamming the door close before leaning on it. Moments earlier she thought that everything was alright, that everything will go the way they were when he met Naruto, but looks like another load was placed on top of her again.

She took a deep breath and cooled down, noting herself that everything will be alright. That all her pain will soon vanished. Though why is she in pain to begin with?

* * *

Kiba permitted his blond pal go out for a while because first of all, Neji refused Kiba's offer in searching for a real nanny for his cousin so technically, he is still Hinata's sitter. And obviously, the Hyuuga heiress _still_ have a heavy crush on the golden blond, instigating her to almost faint every time Naruto uses his shirt to wipe the sweat on his face, allowing the poor heiress to catch a glimpse of his pal's tummy that unexpectedly have four hard breads on it. Lastly, he told him that he would settle some things with Sakura under Sasuke's order, so maybe the raven and the blonde are okay. But he is still confused with the three's commitments with one another, like who _likes_ who and who's _ex's_ does this one belongs, _et cetera_. But it's been an hour since the blond left and they need more man power to set up the stage.

He shook his thoughts away from the blond for a while and took a peak at the other side of the café to check on the sitting heiress. He approached her with a sandwich and bottle of water at hand that he took from the counter along the way, and comfortably sat next to her, commanding the tired heiress to eat for her to take her medicines.

Ino caught the two as she came out of the kitchen with more sandwiches and drinks. She could not help but have a thought that there are possibilities that the brunet have growing feelings for the Hyuuga heiress. Surely, as far as she can remember, Kiba never shared a sandwich with her without cutting it into half, and he had never fed her and joked around at the same time. From her view, the two looked like a couple, a sweet one indeed. Well, she did say to Hinata, through the wind, to take care of Kiba.

Lost in thoughts she suddenly called everyone and dismissed them without any particular reason at hand. No one made any objections anyway, and she watched them all go one by one, saying that they'll see her tomorrow in the process. The pearlescent just nodded and smiled at them in reply. She soon sat by the floor and leaned on the counter as all had left her alone to have her peaceful moment.

It was hard to pretend that everything was okay. It was hard to always smile when you know deep inside you're crushing. And it is hard to introduce him to everyone as a friend whom she had encountered before, when deep inside he's clearly not over him yet. No matter what she says to others, she cannot lie to herself. And the friendship she promised to the brunet is the only thing she has right now to be with him. But if he falls to someone else, it would really eradicate her bittersweet life.

"Knock, knock?" Her eyes widen upon hearing such familiar voice. She looked up and unexpectedly saw the man she was thinking about.

"Why are you still here?" She happily asked as she stood up to level her gaze to his, but all her hopes went crushing down again as she saw the Hyuuga heiress standing behind him.

"We we're just wondering if we could pass for tomorrow, Ino-san." The heiress softly asked with her kind eyes, before the brunet could stand straight and completely block the pearlescent's view of the said heiress.

"Well you see, it's her check-up tomorrow, and I was required by the _princess_ over there—"

"Hey!" The heiress reacted as the brunet pointed a thumb to her repeatedly upon mentioning the connotation. But the brunet continued his sentence as if no heiress interrupted him.

"—to stay with her throughout the examination." He finished before ruffling the heiress' hair that shoved the hand away.

The pearlescent clutched the hem of her shirt from behind in pain, and sternly ordered them to leave. The two stared at each other for seconds before obeying the pearlescent's command. But before they could step their foot on the outside pavement, Ino granted their permission to take a pass for tomorrow's work.

"Good luck on your check-up Hinata." She said with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Ino-san." Hinata replied before heading out first in the café.

Kiba looked back at Ino for seconds, and stared at her sad blue eyes. He had memorized all the pearlescent's expressions, and he could tell that she was just forced to smile.

"Good bye, Ino." He said before leaving.

He allowed the heiress to lead the way. She seems to be happy leading him back to the university, maybe he had been too strict to her that she's currently enjoying the freedom he had given her at the moment. It is actually good as well, for he can freely contemplate about the pearlescent's actions earlier. Not that he needed to think about it, they already had an agreement that they will only remained as friends anyway, though it was not formally and directly said that way. But for unknown reasons, he can't help but think about how much pain her eyes were showing. Not until flashbacks came rushing him like what usually happens in his favourite anime, _Menma_.

"_I still do, just so you know."_

He remembered her saying. It was also the day he saw her hair down. Now what's with him and hairs? But going back to the pearlescent's words, he couldn't fully remember what she meant by those words. He thought, and thought harder and harder, not minding the number of kitty tails and doggy feet he had stepped on, and the number of birdie jackpots that landed on his backpack, and on top of his pup's head. Until finally, he managed to squeeze his brain like a sponge and remembered their full conversation, including the drama and all, and the view of his blond friend and the rosette sitting together in the park as he head to his class. He is completely positive that Naruto and Sakura knew his relationship with Ino. Maybe everyone knows and all were just pretending and forcing themselves to believe their _friendship_. Even the Hyuuga heiress asked him twice if he had, by any chance, a special relationship with the pearlescent. And he's driving far away from the pearlescent's words.

He had asked himself about his true feelings towards the pearlescent many times since he had accidentally bumped at her, and he always ends up with the same answer. But it never crossed his mind to think of the pearlescent's feelings. And now he's stuck at the question asked in his head:

_**Does she still have feelings for me?**_

* * *

Naruto was harsh on her at that moment. And yes, he had to be that harsh to stray the rosette away, for a while, as the raven implied earlier. But he cannot help but feel awfully guilty deep inside. He could have just talked things out with the rosette and begged her to stay away. But it would consume a lot of time, and he had been missing for more than an hour now and he is widely are of the needed man-power back in the cafe.

Keeping an eye on the stone he repeatedly kicked whenever he reached it, he mindlessly collided with another stranger once more. Only this time, he failed to catch himself and he landed in a thud on the concrete ground.

A hand reached down on him and he thankfully accepted the stranger's help which happened to be his other brunet friend.

"Shikamaru, you asked for a break too?" The blond curiously asked.

'"No, Ino dismissed us early." The spiky brunet answered in his usual tone.

"That's odd. Anyway, more time to eat ramen, and more time to sleep for you-ttebayo!" The blond cheerfully said as he patted his spiky brunet pal, before heading to his home once more, in hope that his sister cooked some ramen in the pot.

Sleep. Shikamaru did lack sleep for days because of the problems he continuously feed to his brain. And now the pearlescent's sudden change of atmosphere just added up to his _need-to-solve _list.

Kiba was not the only one who noticed it. Shikamaru, as well, noticed the change of air in the café. And it all started when his co-brunet pal approached Hinata and pampered her like a princess, though the better term was _girlfriend_. Her jealousy was pretty much obvious, or maybe because they had been friends ever since they were young. Before Chouji, Ino was his only friend. Though they weren't best of friends, they were always together back in their childhood days, and Naruto and Sasuke were the witnesses. Till she had to head to her mother's province under her mother's order. He also knew that behind her girly attitude lies a boyish, fun-loving girl. And Kiba, he was like Ino's inner persona. And he did remember that he became busy with his father the whole summer last time when she paid him and Chouji a visit.

With some analysations, it was indeed, possible that the pearlescent and his co-brunet pal had previous commitments with one another. But why aren't they sharing it with the whole gang? Though, he's not in the position to mingle with his childhood friend's love life, especially his own love story's also in deep danger.

It wasn't clear to him why his girlfriend suddenly avoided him after the hacking day. She didn't even return any of his test messages, email messages, written messages, telephone calls, cellular phone calls, and window calls, none! Not even a single peek. She was completely gone. And it was weird because he rarely calls her, and when he does, she always answered it in just a ring. And she may be really troublesome, but he cannot deny the fact that he misses her so much that he is currently lost in thought about her while walking down the road without looking where he's going. Though he was previously thinking about his blonde friend earlier. Damn, all the blonde people he knows are in deep shit right now. But since he wasn't looking because of the blondies, he unknowingly bumped at people as he walked by. Some were cussing him underneath their breaths, most of the people were avoiding him, few were thinking the screw on his head became loose, and one actually crashed to him, sending them both down onto the ground.

He stood up first to help the person up, being a lazy gentleman as he is, but soon realized that the person was already walking away from him.

"Hey!" He called out… for no apparent reason actually. Why is he calling some stranger anyway? But the stranger froze upon hearing his voice, and as he stared at the sand-blond hair in four ponies, he suddenly realized that the girl before him is no stranger. And before the girl could make a step, he managed to take hold of her wrist and turn her around. And it finally confirmed that the girl he crashed into is none other than his girl.

"Hey! Why are you avoiding me? Don't you know I haven't slept for days because of you?" He ranted as his grip on her wrist tightened. He had caught her, though unexpected, and he's not going to let her get away this time without any explanation.

"Because of me or because of my brother?" The sand-blond retorted with glaring eyes.

"Now why would I think of Kanku—"

"You've copied all the folders, have you not? So I assume you have read all the documents regarding my other brother." The sand-blond reasoned. And what she said _is _true. He had copied everything and accidentally read something he should not be reading in the first place. And it is true that he had not slept for a week after discovering such thing. But the later sleepless weeks was because of Temari's complete disappearance.

"Still it's not a valid reason for you to ignore me like that." He shot back. He needs explanation, not an argument or discussion. Though it is somewhat related.

"And why not? You have betrayed me, Shikamaru. I trusted you, and this is what you will do?" the sand-blond completely snapped as she tried to get away from the brunet's grip. But as she continuously fought back, his grip continued to tighten.

"I didn't know." Shikamaru reasoned, almost pleading. And it was true, he did not know.

"Yeah, you didn't know." Echoed sarcastically by the fumed Temari who stopped fighting back, and rather, relaxed her whole arm in her man's hand.

Shikamaru looked down at her wrist and slowly released it. She wouldn't run away now that she had spoken to her. Hopefully she wouldn't. He's kind of lazy to run after her again, and he freaking sawed wood sheets of plywood, he needed rest. But he has to let her know that…

"It is true that I haven't slept for days because of you." He said as his eyes met hers. "You could have just punched me in the face or confronted me, or kill me for all I care. But not seeing you for weeks sure is as painful as dying slowly."

"What do you mean, Nara?" The sand-blond growled, and he cannot believe that for a smart girl, as she is, she still can't see that he has been dying to see her. Is she really that oblivious? Possible, she is kind of insensitive with his feelings too sometimes.

"Look, I don't care about your brothers. Heck, I'm not even friends with them to begin with. What I care about is their troublesome sister who used to bug me every day like she's my mother." He made it clear before running out of words to express to his beloved.

"You really mean that?" Temari asked. Her glare finally softened into a hopeful gaze.

The spiky brunet replied with a smile and a nod. "Yes, yes I do. Now can you please forgive me? I really didn't know."

Temari crossed her arms and arched a brow before rolling her eyes. She truly can't resist the brunet before him. She hates it. "How can't I forgive you after you just said those bullshits?"

"Heh, guess I am pretty good at those." He said with a grin while rubbing his nape. "But I am curious about your brother." He followed up. He did want to clear things up once and for all. Too bad his beloved refused to cooperate.

"I'll explain soon. For now, get some sleep."

He sighed before taking his girl's hand and walked with her to her destination, wherever may that be, and resolved to threw his aces to get what he wanted. For sure the sand-blond would cooperate this time. "Yeah, after sharing this information I discovered."

"You found something?" And as expected, he gained his beloved's attention.

"Yeah, and it would be better if we talk about this with the others."

"Alright, I'll prepare the car." She said before turning around to head to a maroon car.

"For what?" Of course, a little drama here for her to bite in then all will go with his plan.

"If the information you found is this important, then looks like I have to take you all to my brother." She said as she unlocked her car.

"Wait, I thought it's—" And a little drama there. He swore he can be a good actor someday… But memorizing scripts and hearing the director rant about things sure is troublesome.

"I trust you. And if you trust your friends then I'll trust them as well. Besides, Naruto is close to my brothers." Temari said with a smile before entering inside her car.

"Yeah, I just don't understand why he can't remember you." The spiky brunet added before approaching the sand-blond inside the car.

"I was away with our mother for her medication, remember? I am the oldest."

"Jeez, you're that old—ow!" The smacking part was not part of the plan though.

"Shut up and call the rest. I'll meet you all in the university." She instructed before closing the door. Shikamaru watched the car go in speed. And yes, he'll finally obtain what he wanted to know. He'll know the mystery behind Gaara's false death and the reason for hiding it. Though the consequence would be him blabbering about the information he and his father had discovered.

"Copy that." He sighed as he took out his phone and speed dialled his Uzumaki pal. Looks like he can get some good night sleep tonight. Hopefully.

—_**End of Part 15—**_

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**A/N: **See! Told y'all this is still a NaruSaku fic! Could have waited for this chapter, COULD HAVE WAITED FOR THIS CHAPTER! Yeah... I'm cool with it, actually. I mean, I should have warned y'all that this fic also consist of slight SasuSaku since the two said characters unexpectedly had past relationship here in my fic. I actually had a hard time typing their scenes because I really can't tolerate that pairing. I don't know why, maybe because of my love for NaruSaku is too damn strong that I can't let Sasuke get Sakura :)) That is why I was indeed very shocked when some readers misinterpreted the previous chapter and thought that the pairing was SasuSaku. So it was that effective? Khehehe... but I promise y'all folks, this would be their last scene together... unless I change some things again in my storyboard and yeah, my brain is a bit unpredictable when it comes to writing... But either way, if ever they'll have another scene together, y'all know that in this fic, Sasuke belongs to Naruto.

…

Kidding, just humour me :)) Sakura belongs to Naruto, nevertheless.

By the way, if y'all are curious, _'hoping that his tongue is continuously bleeding because of constant biting' _is a belief here in my country. When you bit your tongue out of the blue, the elderlies would usually state that someone's talking about you, or something like that. Then you have to ask someone so pic a number match it with its corresponding alphabeth (eg. 1=A; 7=G; 18=R). Just a short fact about our beliefs... if ever y'all have an idea where I came from ;) (actually I came from my mother's womb... don't we all? But no shit. *straight face*)

This is getting long... Anyway, take care, folks! Hope it was a satisfying read, even though... yeah... Reviews are highly appreciated like YEAH! Till the next chapter! :)


	16. Naked Truth

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY PART 16**

**-Naked Truth-**

******Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**_minashito_-sama**, you know you're the best. Thank you for being my editor. :)

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

* * *

**READ THIS OR ELSE I WOULD DO nothing because I really cannot do anything right now but to **type things... Yeah... 

**ANYWAY... I just want y'all to know that this is STILL a NARUTOxSAKURA FAN FICTION! (can't emphasize that any further). So yeah, two chapters almost focused on SasuSaku's past relationship, but that's the point! They are already DONE! FINISHED! NO MORE! NO LESS! NO NOTHING! NO NO! This is a NaruSaku fan fiction. Not SasuSaku. ESPECIALLY not SakuSaku, may it be her and her bunshin, or both her kage bunshins (****I do believe it is just a type. I mean, I am prowne to typoes tuu. And blame** **_minashito_ for the thought about the typo). So there's 0% chance that Sakura would go crawling back to Sasuke... here in my fan fiction that is. But yeah, I was at fault too. I failed to notify everyone that there would be SasuSaku scenes. The previous two chapters are definitely the last chapters with SasuSaku contents, I promise y'all that. (yey!) **

I am not mad, or yelling at y'all. I just underlined and bold the words so that y'all would know that this note should not be ignored to avoid misunderstandings. I am just defending my fan fiction simply because it cannot defend itself. I mean, that would be freaky. And yeah, sorry, I typed too much... Hope, I cleared everything... the questions and all... Yeah... **Happy reading!**** :D**

* * *

"What, you had made contact with Uchiha Itachi?!" The gingeret scolded through the phone. He was expecting the call from the zombie combo (in which he heard Kisame called them one time) but he never thought of hearing such bad news such as encountering the person who betrayed them.

_"If it fucking weren't for Kakuzu—"_

_"It was you who bumped at the lad! Now quit yapping and let me report at peace."_

The gingeret sighed and rubbed his temple upon hearing the two bicker from the other line. Good thing, unlike the Art Duo, the two knows when to stop and let him speak. "Everything's good?" Pein asked in his usual serious tone.

_"Indeed." _He heard the tailor respond in an airy voice. And unlike the art duo, the zombie combo handles things _physically_. Now he misses the art duo, at least they are more civilized, in a way no one _is_ hurt. Literally hurt.

"First Sasori and his brat, now you and Hidan." Pain muttered in a sigh, not knowing that the silver-haired man victoriously grabbed the phone from his partner.

_"Hey you, muther fucking orange head, what have you heard from the two recently? None! At least we fucking almost got that Uchi-fucking-ha Sasuke. All you got from them was the fucking blondie brat of Aka-fucking-suna being fucking mistaken as a goddamn princess!"_

"Yes, indeed I did. But they did give me lots of information regarding the blondes' schedule and their guardians. Unlike the two of you who only reported bunch of head-pounding bad news." Pein reasoned, causing him to hear popping balloons of curses.

_"And why is meeting Uchi-fucking-ha Itachi became a goddamned bad news?!"_

"Because the two of you have now exposed your presence."

_"Who fucking cares?! They fucking already know we fucking exist—"_

"But not in their city, not in their territory."

_"Well it will fucking lead to that either fucking way!"_

"Anyway, lay-in low for a while. They're more cautious now than before. For now, both of you can—"

_"What? Both of us can fucking what fucking orange-head?!"_

_"Have some manners!"_

_"I do! Heck, we are fucking older than our fucking boss, shit head. Hello? We both can fucking—" _

The gingeret literally slammed his palm to his forehead this time. Why is he assigned to take care of some troublesome people with bothersome attitudes? He was about to press a random number on the phone once more to halt the bickering man when his head suddenly felt heavy. He tried to relaxed himself on his seat but the feeling became heavier, and heavier, until he crashed on the floor seeing only this blurry purple image.

* * *

The two pair heard a crashing sound from the other line, literally halting their argument. They both had a sudden thought that maybe their boss had finally snapped and decided to meet them. But after hearing their lady boss' voice, all the silver-haired man could do is give in to her sweet, angelic voice.

_"Do what you are told without any error this time. And report directly to me. Pein-sama's in deep thoughts right now and is currently working on a situation." _The female voiced strictly instructed. But for the Jashin worshiper, it's her unique way of showing her deep affection for him.

"Why Konan, of course we will fucking report to you. Now how about we do some fucking—" And all he heard was the bleeping sound from the other line. "—scheduling for a date-er... Hello? HELLO?! Fucking shit that bitch just fucking turned me down and fucking hung the phone." He exclaimed before returning the tailor's phone harshly.

"Well, I would do the same, blood mouth. You're not worth talking to."

"Fucker! Urusai, shithead!" Hidan hollered to his partner before leaving him at peace in the living room. He took a deep breath and decided to wander off around the building for a while. He's a tourist and it would suck if he failed to miss any wonderful things in his surroundings. Having thoughts of special places, he remembered the wonderful landscape of the university earlier. He then decided to strut his way there like any other tourist, and conduct a little prayer ritual before returning back to their temporary place.

The Konoha University Apartment was said to be built for the university's beloved professors. But because of the lack of dormitories, and almost all of the professors resides in the city, the university had decided to open it to the student's also, and tourist who would be staying for several days.

As Hidan reached the ground level via stairs, his eyes caught the wall-mounted mailboxes by the hallway, and decided to scan the names of the tenants. He's not surprised by the number of tenants. He was really expecting them to be few since most of the tenants are students. Halfway on the list, he got bored and decided to head straight to the university, when a very familiar last name caught his attention. Looks like it would give him additional points to his lady boss if he reported it to her.

"Heh, what a fucking small world. Hata-fucking-ke Kakashi lives here? So that means the muther fucking Uzumaki twins lives here too." Hidan said to himself as he speed-dialed his lady boss. Sadly, no calls were answered. And as his temper rose, he just decided to give up and just head to his destination. It's not his assigned mission anyway. But then he thought of Sasori and his partner. If their targets are here, where are they? No one heard of their presence in the office since they last reported about laying low for a while. But that was weeks ago, or maybe months. They are usually the people who get things finished right away because of the Deidara brat's education. It was unlikely them to take so much time in taking down some blondies and their guardians. Especially Sasori, knowing his temper, the puppeteer cannot stand waiting _this_ long to finish something. What really happened to them?

And as his purple eyes caught a very interesting car with some interesting passengers by the university's gate, he could not help but smirk to himself. _Looks like someone's fucking-up in their fucking mission,_ he mentally said as he headed back to his room to report some things to his partner.

* * *

Temari was happy enough to see his beloved together with his blond. In all honesty, she's just happy to see his man again.

"Are you all ready?" She asked before entering her car to start the engine.

"Yeah, we are. I also made sure we were not followed." The spiky brunet replied as he covered his blond friend entering the passenger's seat. He went around after to seat in front with the sand-blonde. The three remained quiet the whole time till they had reached the gate of the city

"Where are we heading-ttebayo?"

"We're heading to the Riverfield. A small province bordering the city of Konoha and the city of Suna." Temari replied before realizing their number. "Where are the others?" She asked before turning to the other road.

"Oh. I was in class when Shikamaru pulled me out, so I'm not sure where Kakashi-jii-chan is. But Naruko's with our godfather. I sent them a message earlier, but no one replied yet-dattebayo." Naruto explained as he leaned forward the front seats and rested both arms on top.

"I also informed my father regarding this. He told me to give him the complete address once we got there." Shikamaru added.

Temari nodded and began rummaging her pockets before stopping at the red light. "Here..." She uttered before reaching a piece of paper to the spiky brunet. "This is the complete address of our destination. Go inform the needed people in this case about it. The room's not that big so make sure you two will only give it to the people who might help us. Particularly Shikamaru's father, Naruto's sister, uncle, and godfather. No more other guests."

"Well yeah, those are the only people we're going to inform." Shikamaru and Naruto concurred, though the golden blond ended his with verbal tic.

"Good." The sand uttered before giving the two a short glance. Upon stepping on the accelerator once more, she took a deep breath and remained silent once more, much to Shikamaru and Naruto's curiosity.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shikamaru asked thoughtfully, but received no reply from his dearest. He attempted to ask once more but noticed that the sand-blond is in deep thoughts. He let her be for a while, hoping that she's not biting off more than she could chew. They did have enter a very troublesome situation. And she's about to expose something to his blond pal that is beyond the lies they believed in before. Shikamaru did almost have a cardiac arrest when he discovered that Gaara was alive, what more if the blond, who have has been friends with the red-haired Sabaku, finds out about it today? Naruto is way closer to the said Sabaku than him.

But without any warning, Shikamaru found himself speechless as his dearest spoke once more with not-so good news.

"Naruto, Gaara's alive."

"What?" Naruto curiously asked as he gazed at her, still leaning on the edge of the front seat's backrest.

Temari took a deep breath once more before repeating her statement. "Gaara, my youngest brother, he's alive."

"What?" the blond asked once more, still not getting the gist of the statement.

In the brink of snapping, Temari decided to take a full-stop by the store to fully face the oblivious blond.

"Are you deaf, Naruto. I said Gaara _is_ alive!" She said, almost in a cry, before turning back to the stirring wheel, and stifled her increasing anger as she tightened her grip on the wheel.

"B-b-b-bu-but-da-da-datteba_—_"

"Kankuro and I will explain everything once we arrive in the penthouse." Temari said as she stepped on the accelerator once more. And not a single word was heard from the blond since that moment. The whole trip became relatively silent, much to Temari's liking. She's rather nervous as to what will happen if Naruto finds out that her brother's alive. And she's part nervous and part excited about the discoveries of her dearest in the files she allowed him to copy.

It didn't take much time to arrive in their destination. They parked the car in the far end of the area before entering the apartment. And even though the building was filled with veins, the interior of the apartment was surprisingly modern and sparkling clean, with a garden in the core of the building.

The two males waited for the sand-blond by the elevator converse with the receptionist. Both were bored and nervous on to what will happen with the sudden meeting today. What if something goes wrong, what will happen to them? What will happen to the others? What will happen to the ones they love?

Questions, they are definitely troublesome at first. But once the decisions are made, there is no turning back. And finding the answer would mean fighting all the doubts in life and take an action. A planned action that might lead to the better of everyone, or worst. Searching for answer was never easy. And not all answers are good. But as the saying goes, _a bird in a hand is worth two in a bush_. And for now, the only sure thing they have is that the enemies want everyone dead, and the number of people who wants them dead. With that knowledge, all they can do now is be cautious. Maybe after their meeting they could think of a way to counter the enemies' attack.

Minutes after, the sand-blonde finally approached them and lead them inside the elevator. She inserted a card in a slot provided below the floor selection, and the elevator began to move in casual speed to the penthouse.

The butterflies inside Naruto's stomach soon became a ferocious fox as the elevator's door opened, exposing a rather long hallway leading to a wooden double door with intricate designs. Temari led the way once more. She quietly opened said door as they came near, allowing the two to enter first.

And as she was expecting, the golden blond will breakdown in seconds after seeing her dear brother all alive, watching this anime called _Menma _as he seat on his favorite chesterfield.

"Oh, you arrived late. Kankuro and the others are in the dining room." The red-haired uttered monotonously, eyes still looked on the wall-mounted 72" television. Seconds after he heard the doors closed, he suddenly felt someone hugging him tightly on his side. Turning his head his vision were obscured by blond fringes, belonged to no one but his old pal, Naruto. He hugged the golden blond back, and the scene became a little bit dramatic. Just a little bit.

"How... how did you... how… why?!" It was Naruto's initial reaction as they broke apart from their friendly hug. Gaara just gave him a small smile in reply as he felt the others join them in the living room.

They all settled in their chosen seat and remained quiet for seconds, eyes scanning one another, except for the red-head who's really into the said anime, it is the part where _Menma_ fights together with the other ninja to defeat the antagonists. The two other Sabaku siblings wanted to start everything already. But knowing their little brother, Temari and Kankuro both decided to finish the anime before proceeding to their meeting. Good thing all their visitors seemed to grow a liking to said anime too.

Once finished, Gaara personally turned off the television and nodded to Kankuro who cleared his throat with eyes casually glancing at their older sister. Temari sighed and rubbed her temples in reply before clearing her throat as well. Being the eldest in the family is not always that fun.

"Alright, I guess we first have to explain our alive brother." She said, earning her all the attention from the visitors and her brothers. "As few knows, Gaara is the only legal son of Karura and the fourth owner of the Red Sand Compa_—_"

"I thought the red-haired Akatsuki was the owner of that company-ttebayo?!"

"Shut up for a while, Naruto!" Temari cried, but still managed to deliver it in a calm demure.

She took another deep breath before proceeding. "The Red Sand Company is inherited from generation to generation. It is written in every Sabaku's last will and testament that everything will be inherited by the next heir. Even though I am the eldest child, since I have no blood relation to them, everything was passed on to Gaara. Same goes with Kankuro."

"And after the death of your father, The Red Sand Company was given to the Akasuna." Jiraiya added.

"Yes, Jiariya-sama. " Temari concurred. "Years after hiding from the Akatsuki and Chiyo-san's sudden death. Her only grandchild came looking for us, and handed everything that is ours."

"But the company is still under the name of Akasuna." the silver-haired man continued, earning him a nod from the sand-blonde.

"Upon giving everything back, he also agreed to join forces with us and offered himself to become our spy inside the Akatsuki."

"But how did you and Kankuro arrive in the family if you two are not Gaara's biological siblings, dattebayo?" Naruto asked as he scratched behind his head.

"Mother and father tried so many times to make a love-child, but they couldn't. So they adopted Temari together with Kankuro since they partly look like mother and father. But after few years, they tried for the last time... and I came to the world." Gaara explained in his usual tone, making sure he had explained it in the simplest way he can. Remembering his blond friend, he's not really the type who understands quickly. Though his usage of the word _biological _is somewhat new.

Naruto replied with a nod before seating comfortable once more between his sister and uncle. His gaze then fell on the slouched Shikamaru across him, seated in between his father and the blond's godfather.

"This is kind of intriguing. You did say the Akasuna heir willingly approached the three of you to give back what is rightfully belongs to the Sabaku. But how come it is stated in their documents that Chiyo-san was the one who formulated this poison who killed your father?" Shikamaru asked with eyes locked on the three Sabaku.

"It was said that once you signed a contract in the Akatsuki corporation, you cannot take it back. You'll be a stockholder forever." Kankuro explained, allowing her older sister to continue, unfortunately for Temari.

"Akatsuki is a closed company and is very strict at choosing their partners. Before Orochimaru took hold of the said company, it was owned by the powerful people in the city of Otogakure. The people there are much blinded with power that they have decided to expand their business to other cities." Temari finished before allowing the white-haired man to continue the explanation, being the old friend of the current owner of the company.

"In which they succeeded. But as time flies, they all shut down, except for the Sabaku, the Akasuna, and the Iwa clans."

"Wait, I thought Iwa is a city." Naruto asked obliviously, earning him several sighs from different people.

"Their family is the founder of the city. It was said to be the clan who has the second highest stockholder in the company. Not until Orochimaru came. Everything went back to square-one." Kankuro added, before glancing at her older sister who seemed to be expecting that glance of his.

"The Akasuna had long disregarded their relation with the Akatsuki since Orochimaru took over. Same with Sabaku. But since it was a long tradition Orochimaru easily adopted, he decided to put the lives of the stockholders, and the people who would despise the company into his hands." Temari finished before excusing herself to get everyone something to drink.

"Yeah, father and I read something about that in the files we had gathered," Shikamaru said in all seriousness. "There are also some things we discovered, but father said to withhold the thought for a while till he analyzed it further."

"Sadly, I still haven't analyzed things yet because I wasn't expecting this meeting." Shikaku, the spiky brunet's father, explained while rubbing his nape, making Naruto held his laughter because of his pal's similarity with his father. "But investigation will go in great speed now that everyone is here. We can all combine all the information we have to formulate a plan."

Everyone agreed with the older Nara and patiently waited for their drinks, and hopefully some snacks, until the door came crashing down on the floor, exposing a young school-boy who cause the breakage.

"No you're not!" He yelled from the top of his lungs, causing the gray-haired man to stood-up and squealed.

"My princess!"

"Shut the fucking hell up you—"

"You're the one who should be shutting that mouth of yours!" Temari exclaimed upon hitting the guy's head with the fan she was holding.

"Ouch! What was that for, woman, un?!" the blond lad cried back while rubbing the spot in his head where the fan hit him.

"Where are your manners?! You're the one who kicked that door down, and you have this confidence to shout at Hatake-san like that!" the sand-blonde retorted.

"Well if that fucking _Hatake-san _you were talking about would just stop mistaking me as a girl from his favourite story book for the nth time, I wouldn't be talking to him like that, un!"

"Why you little son of a—"

"Temari, compose yourself." Her beloved otouto calmly uttered, before shifting his gaze to the blond lad, "What is your purpose of coming here?"

"Akasuna Sasori, you know him right?" the blond lad said, eyes locked on his rubber shoes.

"Hai, are you one of his messenger? Does he have any news regarding—"

"He's gone." The blond lad said flatly before meeting the red-head's gaze.

"What?!" Gaara uttered in surprise, but his facial reaction remained calm, except for his eyes that widened.

"He would be if you won't heed my words." A stern reply was thrown by the blond lad.

"Who…who would do such a thing?" Temari uttered in a hushed, worried as she placed the tray of drinks on the rosewood table.

"Who else? There's no one who could kill him that quickly but Orochimaru-sama, un. But he's still alive, more or less, un." The young lad replied before rolling his eyes.

"What is your name lad?" Gaara asked calmly

"Iwa Deidara of Explosion Corp." He replied with pride, remembering what his parents told him when he was young that he should be proud of the name he is carrying.

"Explosion Corporation?!" Almost everyone echoed in the living room.

"What a cool name, my—"

"Call me princess one more time and I'll put a fucking firecracker in that ass of yours, un!" The blond lad hollered to the gray-haired man before receiving another smack from the sand-blonde.

"Watch your mouth!" Temari snapped once more and hit Deidara again with her fan.

"Temari, compose your—"

"I know, alright! Will you stop ordering me? I am your older sister for kami's sake!" Temari retorted to the red-head, who effortlessly countered his sister's reply.

"Then stop acting like you're younger than me and handle the situation calmly. Like Kankuro over here."

_Damn you, Gaara, stop acting like an almighty king here, _the comfortable seating Kankuro thought while secretly glaring at his younger brother.

"Aren't you one of Orochimaru's stockholders?" Gaara asked upon observing the blond lad's appearance. He seemed to be too young to handle such big company. Though by the blond lad's look, he is few years older when the Sabaku's business was inherited by the red-head.

"Yeah, but I didn't know he's running a dirty business. Look, I'm not teaming up with you. I just want to save my danna's life, un…" Deidara uttered with a stern expression.

"Danna, huh..." The red-haired echoed. "Why would you want to do that? He is also a stockholder." Gaara asked, testing if they could really trust the blond lad by their door. Now having that thought, they should call the services immediately to have their door fixed.

"Because… because he's the only family I've got. I grew up without a parent and he's the only one who took care of me, un. And Sasori no danna has been serving you for years. He's been betraying Orochimaru-sama for years. That's why all of you have to help me too." He said as he pointed a finger directing to the Sabaku siblings.

Gaara never thought that an Akatsuki member— a member—would approach them just to ask for help. But the blond lad seemed to be telling the truth, and he hadn't heard from the Akasuna heir for ages.

"Deidara, we're glad to help you. But helping you means spilling all the information you know about Orochimaru. Are you ready to take the risk of telling us your knowledge about him and his company?" Gaara offered, earning him a shocked look from everyone. But all have no choice; they are in the territory of the Sabaku boss.

"I… I would do anything… anything, un. He… he doesn't deserve to die like—Uzumaki." He uttered upon eying the two sitting twins. "Wow, they are a fucking dead ringer!"

"Watch your mouth!" Temari hollered to the blond lad, who rolled his eyes in reply.

"Excuse my french." The blond lad sarcastically said as his hands shooed the imaginary dusts away.

"Temari, Shikamaru, please accompany Deidara-kun in the dining room for a moment while I discuss some things with Hatake-shi and the others regarding the matter." Gaara kindly ordered to the two. "Naruko and Naruto, please follow them as well." He followed as he gazed at the two.

"It's been a long time since someone called me that." Kakashi muttered.

"Yeah... Deidara-kun, let's go." Shikamaru said, trying to sound friendlier, but ended up sounding like a sheep.

"Arigato… Arigato gozaimasu, un." Deidara then stood up and gave a short bow to Gaara and followed Shikamaru and Temari to the dining room.

"But Gaa—"

"We'll call everyone after. This won't take long." The red-head explained, earning him a pouted _hai_ from his blond pal. And soon the twins followed the Sabaku princess and her prince to the dining room, together with a bratty young blond.

* * *

"How old are you?" Shikamaru asked, trying to break the silence engulfing everyone. Temari had long decided to leave the blond lad to the spiky brunet, and head to the kitchen to cook dinner with Naruko. Naruto on the other hand, went to the covered balcony and decided to watch the setting sun.

"Why should I answer?" The blond lad retorted, but soon felt guilty. He is really not that harsh to people, he just don't know how to converse with them since he was home-schooled ever since. Though he is currently studying in a private school, in which he so much hate. "Sixteen... just turned sixteen, un." The blond lad replied in a friendlier tone, compared to his early reply.

"I see." Shikamaru nodded in contentment, before allowing the silence to arrive once more. Now he has to think of another question to the blond lad to avoid boredom, though they are bored from the very beginning. Such a troublesome situation his troublesome girlfriend left him to handle.

On the other part of the room. Naruto was beyond happy to witness the sunset, if only his godfather was with him to witness it. And if only the light above him automatically switched on. At first he felt terrified, their neighbor _is_ a hospital. It is possible that there may be ghosts lurking around the penthouse. But as he saw his godfather join him and sat across him on the bamboo chair, he couldn't help but feel contented once more.

"So have you read my latest work?" the white-haired man asked with glimmering eyes, which Naruto found a bit creepy.

"Nah, I preferred watching it. Too lazy to read-ttebayo."

"Hmm... it _is_ better to watch it. They really did choose such beauties." Jiraiya muttered to the golden blond as he leaned, with his hands tracing a coca-cola bottle in the mid-air.

The two males laughed at the thought at their conversation continued, not noticing the sunflower blonde behind them, who unexpectedly smacked the two males' head. The two turned around and saw Naruko shun-shined away from them and head back to the kitchen. The two males just laughed again after while rubbing the spot, where the tray the sunflower blonde was holding, kissed their skull.

Naruto have always longed to have a bonding with his godfather. It has been years since they had their last bonding, and he was six or seven years old at that time. It would have been better if Naruko did not smack them that hard and allowed the two males to talk about things only the two of them will understand. And maybe Kakashi too, but knowing the gray-haired man, Naruto doubted that his uncle would talk such things with him in public. He does have a reputation to take care of. Besides, he can tolerate his sister, he understands. He can even imagine their mother scolding him, it was her number one order to stay away from the pervert attorney. Now he remembered why wanted to keep himself busy. To distract himself away from...

_Sakura…_

Naruto mentally called out as he looked down on his lap. Suddenly the urge to call the rosette came rushing in once more. He doesn't care if she would yell at him for saying such things the last time they have talked to one another. He just wants to hear her voice. He just wants to make sure she's alright.

"You know, you can call her if you want to. Unless you're thinking about the Uchiha lad, then that's a different story." And like he read the golden blond's thoughts, Jiraiya teased his godson who unknowingly played with his phone. Naruto then raised his head, a bit faster than his reflexes, and looked at his godfather, before realizing what he was playing with his hands. Though he was glad he didn't catch himself playing something else a bit more private. He almost did one day when he was day-dreaming about the rosette in the shower. Since then he never daydreamed once more when taking a bath.

It was one of the moments where Jiraiya's expression only speaks of good intention, with a smile so innocent and pure. Seeing him like that is so rare that it almost feel foreign. Seeing him with that kind of expression is almost terrifying, but in a good way. Naruto was so focused at reading his godfather's smile that he even failed to notice that Naruko were watching the two males have their quality time.

She is positively sure where their conversation is heading to. And as much as she wanted to hear it again, she believed that it will only cause her to break out once more. She doesn't want to show her weak side right now, knowing that her brother is almost at his lowest point. The least she could do as his sister is to stay strong for him, for her to become his support. And to be able to achieve such things, she needs sleep, a beauty sleep, so to say. And maybe help the sand-blonde cook the dinner so they could eat already.

Naruto remained his gaze on his godfather like they're having a staring contest. He attempted to let the some words out several times, but found that he doesn't even know what to say in the first place. Jiraiya then began laughing hardly, he had never seen his godson so curious and terrified at the same time. It somewhat reminded him of his favorite student.

"You know, Naruko already heard this story. I think it would be very unfair for you if I won't share this story," Jiraiya began to utter as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head – another rare action from his godfather. "This story is somewhat similar to yours, especially the romance part." He finished before giving his godson another rare smile of his.

"What story is that-ttebayo?" Naruto asked in a bit hoarse voice. He doesn't even know how his voice produced such voice. "What is it about?" He finished after clearing his throat, allowing his voice to go back to its original.

Jiraiya then began to stretch. This would be a long conversation after all.

"Your parents' love story."

* * *

"You're pairing me with this…" _The entitled __**red habanero**__ seemed to be having a hard time finding the right word appropriate to her new partner, as her eyes scrutinized his overall appearance._

"Now, now, Kushina, Minato here is one of the top students here in our class. And I must say, you are one of the students who drastically decline in terms of performance and grade." _I said, hiding all the amusement I am currently experiencing. _

"But…" _She then trailed off, she knew better than to argue with me, her favourite sensei. She then took the paper from my hand and soon disappeared through the doors, with the blond, feminine-looking guy, on her trail. But despite of his looks, Namikaze Minato seemed to be very appealing with all the girls in my class. That's why it surprised me that there was one girl that seemed to loathe him. With a hair so red, no one would even notice if a tomato sauce was showered on it. And that girl's name was Uzumaki Kushina. _

_The two always fought. I usually caught them, well Kushina, scolding his partner for doing this, doing that. I always laughed at them because Kushina got angry at the littlest things; luckily Minato was calm by nature, though he lacked skills in calming the red-head, which was another thing that I laughed about. Minato was a very talented man, naturally smart and lover of books, his looks even became the inspiration for my character's looks – though I got the name from the fishcake that fell off my mouth in front of the two when they were bickering again. And I must say, it was the reason why their argument halted. It was also such a coincidence that the first book I wrote was Minato's favourite book, and the book where he got his twins' name._

_Then one fine day, during our class' library period, Kushina walked out for unknown reason. I tried to stop her but she was too furious, so I approached Minato instead, hoping to earn an explanation behind the commotion. And there I found out that he accidentally ruined their thesis (his dog literally ate their papers, including the copy). It actually surprised me, for Minato was a very responsible man. I then started interrogating him; maybe he's encountering a big problem that made him so attractive to troubles. I don't want to lose him as my student; he's one of the best._

_But his reason, his very cute reason, was my inspiration for writing the Icha-__Icha__ series._

"I'm in love with her." _He confessed as he unconsciously played his black pen. I wasn't sure how to react. But my initial reaction was anger. I was angry at him for being weak, though I couldn't blame him. If I were in his position, I might keep this feeling to myself. But at the same time, I was happy for him, for he finally found his true love. Or did he?_

"How sure are you that it's love you feel?" _I asked. I was expecting a cheesy line like 'I fell in love with her eyes' and stuff. But this… this line, made me pursue writing Icha Icha series._

"I do not know, sensei." _He said humbly. _"But whenever I see her, I just can't help but imagine her on the bed. I even caught myself thinking of kissing her the other day."

"Are you sure it's not just infatu—"

"I sometimes imagine her being my wife, even having two kids of opposite gender with her." _He continued like I never spoke a word. It was a very rare thought. It's rare for a man to think of such thing. And the way he opened it up to me, it was so innocent. But most of all, it was filled with love, every word he uttered. I never fell in love with someone before, unless this thing I feel for Tsunade counts as one, so I don't know what to say to the blond. But it was very wonderful, but sad at the same time. One-sided love is very painful, no? Not quite. For it was never a one-sided relationship._

_It was almost noon the other day when I dropped by the library, weeks before the current semester ended. I was about to drop off some books I borrowed earlier when a certain noise at the near end of the library caught my attention._

"The red book-ttebane, are you color blind or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"No wonder you kept reaching all the orange books in the shelves."

_And by the sound of the voices, I knew it was none other than Kushina and Minato, arguing again. Though it's true that Minato is color blind. He used to mix the red pen with the orange pen in my pencil case whenever I ask him to help me check the lower year's English papers. I didn't bother to peak at the two of them and chose to listen instead, I might ruin their 'bonding time', and it was more fun to listen to them from the other side._

_And at this moment, I proved that Minato's not good with girls... and pick-up lines._

"Hey, that's our color." _He uttered in a cheerful voice. I heard a soft snicker from the red-head, and all I could hope, for the love of romance, was for Minato to shut his mouth, he sounded so desperate. Well, not really, but he was close to sounding like one. _

"What the heck are you talking about, Namikaze?" _I heard her say. I know what I said earlier, but I can't help it. The two of them sound so adorable. So I peaked in between the books in the shelf, and watched the two smiling at each other for the first time, I think. I always see them fighting, who can't blame me?_

_Minato stepped down from the ladder and looked at her teal eyes. A faint blush was visible on his cheeks, but Kushina seemed to be oblivious about it. Not until he reached out his hand. _"The color of our hair, when added, it creates the color orange."_ He said while tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ears, making her cheeks turned in a very light shade of pink. Kushina then backed a little and began climbing the ladder._

"You say the most random things." _She said while climbing up; causing her to missed Minato's sweet, wide smile. It was then I realize that they really do look good together._

"Well…" _He said as he watched the red-head carefully climb the ladder to reach the top shelf. _"…there's more of that where it came from." _He said cheerfully while aimlessly playing the hem of his jacket. I must say, he looked manlier today, with his faded jeans, black shoes and jacket, and white shirt inside, yeah that's a new get-up._

_And like any other romances, a tragic thing always happens._

"Oh really?" _Kushina teased as she tried to reach the red book they needed._

"Are you sure you can get it? I'm taller than yo—" _Minato was about to make an offer when Kushina's temper boiled again. I really felt bad for him._

"Are you saying I'm small?"

"N-n-no. I… I was just—" _This is the first time I heard him stutter… I can see their future together now. Interesting…_

"Are you insulting my height you female-looking bastard?"

"I did not say—"

"Oh really now, really? Oh c'mo—"

_And like on cue, as Kushina tip-toed on the ladder – kids, please do not try this. Kushina was stupid enough to have thought of this – she tragically ran out of balance and fell. Minato on the other hand caught her just in time. And to my surprise, for a feminine-looking guy, he's somewhat strong; the two of them didn't even fall on the floor._

_And this was the first time I saw them a centimeter close to one another. Her hands enveloped around his neck, his hands on her waist for support, their nose were brushing, and their lips were apart. If ever I passed by them and caught them like this, I would assume they were kissing. And I swear I saw the tip of their lips brushed as the impact rushed through them, and their closeness to each other making their knees weak._

_I failed to count how many minutes they remained like that. But it was the most beautiful scene I have ever seen. I even preferred this than, you know what I mean. But of course, like in the movies, the two parted without kissing. But their relationship became a little bit more peaceful than before. And the second time I've seen them that close was on their wedding day, where their lips finally met each other. And the two even admitted that their kiss during their wedding was their first. And after several years of practicing their profession, they finally had their first two children. _

_Kushina called me up one busy day and asked me to meet her for help. She was handling a case that time while Minato was vacant, and was left at home to take care of the two babies with my very own sensei and his beloved wife, who happened to be Kushina's relative. And as we met at the coffee shop nearby, she told me a wonderful story. Though her story started off a little bit boring because it consisted of baby stuff shopping._

"So I woke up Mina-chan when I heard Naru-chan cried. He always woke up first than Naru-chi." _She explained before sipping her coffee._

"What happened then?" _I asked, I don't know where our conversation was heading that time, I just listened to her stories about Minato feeding their twins when she finally got onto her point…_

_**"Naru-chan, you really eat a lot." Minato said while feeding his baby boy. After feeding him, he gently placed him to his crib, and slowly carried his baby girl, and smoothly grabbed her bottle of milk as they settled again in the armchair. "I really do wish Ku-chi bunny grant my wish of hiring a sitter for the two of you. A man cannot handle this all by himself." He said before releasing a sigh, unaware that Kushina was just standing by the door and watching him. Guilt slowly crawled in her heart when Minato suddenly hugged Naru-chi.**_

"_**Heh, Naruko, it saddens that you didn't manage to get your mother's hair." He suddenly utter before glancing at the sleeping Naru-chan. "Even you, Naruto." He said before feeding Naru-chi once more. "I really love your mother's hair, especially the color. I really don't know why she hates it so much but I really like it. It makes her eyes stand out. Too bad neither of you got her looks." He said as he pouted, before placing the sleeping Naruko back at her crib. "But the two of you will soon grow. I hope one of you will get your mother's look. Heh, you two may freely assume that I'm this obsessed with your mother." He said before settling his baby girl back to her crib, and gave them both a good night kiss.**_

"He was beautiful." _Kushina said dreamily before she finished her coffee. Yes, their relationship was beautiful. They were unbreakable. Though I never thought their last case would be the reason for their happy lives to end._

"I do not care!" _Kushina cried at her husband, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Personally I felt really bad that it would end this way. "_We're a family, we're in this together you bast—"

"That's why we have to do this_!" He finished, literally ended their conversation. _"I love you so much that it would kill me if something happens to you."_ He said as he held her shoulders. "_You and the twins matters to me so much that I have to do this sacrifice—"

"How many times do I have to tell you that—"

"This is the only way."_ He said as his eyes finally failed him, and let the tears fell from his eyes. _"Everything will get back to normal after this case. Long it may seem but it'll be worth it."_ He said as he managed to give her an assuring smile._

_It was the day where they signed papers where it is stated that their kids would use their mother's maiden name, including Kushina. It was for their safety, since Minato was involved in a very powerful case where powerful people are included, and death may possibly come along the way. Kushina never stopped crying till Minato left. Weeks after he left, Kushina received a letter from his client, with a plane ticket inside the envelope. It was also the day where she wished she granted Minato's wish of hiring a sitter for her kids, for she has no choice but to send the two under Minato's childhood friend who owned an orphanage._

* * *

"The rest is history." Jiraiya finished before wiping some tears falling from his eyes. It never failed to make his eyes watery. Their story was too romantic to end tragically. And seeing Naruto suffer the same as Minato kills him, plus Sakura's pink-haired, it is close to red.

"That's why, Naruto." He uttered as he stood up and fully faced the golden blond, who remained quiet the whole time, eyes locked on his phone, with Sakura's contact detail shown. "I'll promise you this. You and Sakura will have a happy ending." And with that, Naruto raised his head to meet his, Naruto was crying the whole time. It was painful to hear his parents' love story, more painful than their death story. And Jiraiya was happy for he didn't walk out at him like Naruko. And with that, he left the room, and allowed Naruto to contemplate for a while.

Jiraiya excused himself once more as he passed by the people discussing in the living room, and headed to the other balcony to make a phone call. He doesn't have a solid plan yet, but it will come. He is good at it. And like what his colleague usually told him, he's their sensei's favourite student. This should be easy for him

And after several rings, his dear Tsunade finally answered his call. To his surprise, his blond friend doesn't sound drunk at all.

"_What is it, Jiraiya?" _He heard her ask in her usual tone.

With that, he allowed a smirk grew on his face. "Do you, by any chance, have time to have a little chat?"

—_**End of Part 16—**_


	17. I'll Wait Forever

**THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY PART 17**

**-I'll Wait Forever-**

**Disclaimer1: **I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

**Disclaimer2: **I do not own the songs Blame it On the Rain by He is We, and Forever by Faber Drive, and Distance by Long Shot Party

**_minashito_-sama**, after all we've been through... Yeah...

Thank you, as always, for being my editor. You're the best. :D

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

**A/N:** I suggest y'all listen to the songs mentioned above so y'all could feel the scene where it was mentioned. If y'all don't know the song, I also included the band who performed it so just google/yahoo/yehey/yeah it. If y'all know the song, then give me a virtual high-five!

Yeah... Happy reading folks!

* * *

_I'll promise you this. You and Sakura will have a happy ending._

Naruto pondered on his godfather's words for minutes till it finally sank in to his brain what his perv-jiji meant. He turned around in all hopes that his godfather will still be in sight in the dining room, but looks like he has to wait till they are allowed to enter the living room, and clarify things with his godfather.

He had long admired Sakura – _that_ is a hundred percent true – and the golden blond will never deny it. But he never imagined it being close to his parents' love story. He doesn't even know if the rosette also has a little feeling towards him, He's even quite unsure if what he feels towards her is just a crush, or much more than that. And of course, he will never know the real answer because all he did was shove the rosette away just as when they're getting pretty close to each other. But one thing is for sure, hearing the raven's conversation with the rosette sure made him jealous. Now he knows that the two did had a romantic relationship that ended quite awfully. He had always wondered what would it feels like to have someone whom you will love and love you back. And maybe, just like his father, Naruto had once thought of Sakura being that someone. And yes, he was inside the shower while thinking about it. And it was also the moment when he caught his own hands almost fondling with his unmentionable for an unknown reason. Maybe Sasuke's right at blaming the hormones for doing such _things._

Naruto began stretching as he stood up and decided to join his spiky brunet pal in the table, together with the Iwa lad who practically owns the city of Iwa. Such a lucky kid.

"Aren't you scared, un?" The Iwa lad suddenly asked as the golden blond settled on a seat next to the young Nara.

"Scared of what-ttebayo?" Naruto asked back with a curious gaze. He wasn't expecting starting a conversation with the young lad. Well, it was the lad who started it. But at least it would be less boring.

"Well, your life is at stake," the Iwa lad explained. "I mean, mine would be too later when the grownup calls us back there, un. Worst part is that I know nothing much about the Akatsuki's plan, or Orochimaru-sama's plan in particular."

Naruto could not help but smile at the young lad. He wasn't that bad when you talk to him. He's just a bit bratty. Maybe because he's living in the lap of luxury and he can practically get what he want.

"I was." Naruto responded before rubbing below his nose. "But when I think of my friends and the people I care do their very best to end this war, it makes me feel safe."

"Friends... and people you care for?" The Iwa lad echoed, making the two older male look at each other with a smile. Talking to the Iwa lad sure made them feel old, even though the lad's only four years younger than the two of them.

"Yep-ttebayo! You also have that, right?" Naruto replied with glee, showing his happiness to the worried blond lad. And it somewhat worked. After minutes of being silenced, it was the first time Shikamaru saw the Iwa lad smiled. "So, Deidora, where is your danna, dattebayo?"

The Iwa lad felt his lips and eye twitch upon hearing the name. _First, his uncle calls me __**his princess**__. Now this Uzumaki calls me with a name almost similar to this cartoon character that's accompanied by a monkey and talking things_, he thought before forcing himself to fake a smile for his sanity's sake.

"I sneaked out from him in our hide-out not far from your apartment, un." He responded after clearing his throat.

And speak of the devil and the devil will surely come, though not literally, in Deidara's case. He suddenly felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket, making him momentarily jump in fear that it might be his danna. What was he thinking? Of course it's his danna. Who would call him at a time like this but the crimsonet? Unless it's their big boss, Pein, in which he doubts for the gingeret never calls him while in a mission.

Friends and people you care for. That, the young Iwa could understand. He had long forgotten how it feels like to care for someone, and to be cared back. And he could proudly say that there are only few people whom he really cares for. The first one would be his danna. Head-pounding it may seem but he sees him as the young Iwa's older brother. He can still remember when he asked the Akasuna heir to dye his hair blond so that they would really look like siblings. Sadly, though expected, the crimsonet rejected his plea.

Second would be Pein who always treated the young Iwa as his nephew. Sometimes as his son, together with his beloved girlfriend, Konan. The gingeret always put his safety first above anything else. He even begged the merciless Orochimaru to exclude him in his missions. But orders are orders, and the gingeret has no other choice but to follow it. But aside the jobs he has to do at a young age such as ruling a powerful city, under his danna's supervision no doubt, and managing his parents' companies such as the Explosion Corporation, the gingeret had always been by his side. And he still hates the name of the company. He really now swore that when he reaches the rightful age, he would really change the company's name into a much cooler name.

Then the third person would be Pein's beloved girl, Konan. She always gives him what he wants without any second thoughts. Though the gingeret notices it sometimes that he cuts down the lavender's bank accounts near to its limits. But lately, after he was sent on the mission to capture the Uzumaki twins, the lavender just drifted away from him. She stopped checking on him like she always does just to see if he had eaten right. She even stopped scolding the crimsonet for always arguing with him. But his danna did become a bit nicer to him than before. And less strict, much to the young Iwa's glee.

Now going back to his vibrating phone. He took it out from his pocket and stared in distress at the blinking name of his danna on the screen. What would he do? He can't just answer it for his danna installed a tracker on his phone. It would be dangerous for the both of them, and for the people he's with right now if someone secretly followed his danna. And he simply can't just ignore the call, his danna would go nuts. They may have a cat and mouse relationship, but they have always seen each other as siblings. Especially that they are the ones they got. Both of them are orphans, and both just can't afford to lose the other.

But when the price he has to pay is the lives of the people he's with right now, then he just have to make a little sacrifice. He'll be back to his danna as soon as he spills the information he had to the Sabaku heir. If only the Akasuna heir could hear his thoughts right now. And if only the young Nara could also hear it to so he would not have to throw it away and let it fall into pieces.

"Hey! Why did you do that for, un?!" The young Iwa hollered at the spiky brunet with crumpled fist waving back and forth like it's holding an imaginary knife that would stab the said male.

"There might be a tracking–"

"Of course I'm aware of it! I was going to put it back inside my pocket, un." He retorted before sitting back to his chair, arms crossed to his chest.

It became relatively mute with an apprehensive ambience in the room after. Temari took a peak from the pass-through after the silence outside deafened her ears. To her relief, nothing seems to be broken, except for the broken phone by the corner of the room. But nonetheless, the boys were behaving, and it was unlike them.

"Hey, everything's okay?" She asked in her cheerful voice, startling the three males, shocking her as well. "Why so jumpy? I just asked if everything's fine." She said before disappearing from the window. The three males glanced at each other before scanning the whole room in silence.

They all understood each other. Well, the young Nara and Iwa do, Naruto felt like he doesn't belong to the picture so he just remained quiet as well. But Deidara do understand why the spiky brunet—whom he mentally named pineapple dude—did such thing. He would do the same if he was in the pineapple's position. Shikamaru also understood why the blond lad snapped, for he too will get mad if someone suddenly throws your phone away and let it crash to the nearest wall. And yes, Naruto really feels like he's not part of the scene at all.

Soon the sunflower blonde joined the three young men in the dining to take a rest, and to take the sand blonde's request in cheering the boys up for the silence is really deafening her.

"Did someone call us yet?" She uttered, hoping someone will answer back. And knowing his twin brother, it wouldn't be him.

"Nope, no one called us yet." And to her surprise, it was the young Iwa who answered.

"I see..." She concurred before remembering the blond lad's first encounter with her uncle. "So..." She hummed before continuing. "Takashi Kin, where did you get the name?" She asked, earning her a shocked expression from the blond lad.

She laughed at the expression she received. Maybe he is really that good; the young Iwa _is _an Akatsuki stockholder that is currently working as their spy as well. "What's with the face?" She asked.

"Nothing." Deidara replied before muting himself once more.

"Heh, looks like you have finally met your long-time stalker, Naruko." Naruto teased at his twin, in which Naruko replied to him by elbowing her twin's arm. "Or maybe Deidora _is _that Takashi Kin who was stalking you for years." He rephrased, making the sunflower blonde growl in anger.

_Again with the Deidora... _the blond lad sighed. "I am not a stalker, un! I just read it in the files our boss provided." Deidara growled with a glare dedicatedly planted to the golden blond.

"So that's how much the Akatsuki knows about the Uzumaki." And after minutes of saliva-rotting silence, the pineapple head had finally spoken with his usual lazy tone.

"What do you mean, Shika?" the sunflower blonde asked, but she was rather rewarded by a curious look than an answer.

"And since when did I become _Shika_?"

"Just now." Naruko replied, shrugging off the thought. "Now what do you mean?" She asked.

And all the young Iwa heir could do is relate to the poor pineapple head. "Yeah, and moments ago I was _Deidora, un._"

"Mendokuse..." the young Nara muttered to himself before remembering the question he has to answer. "Well, if Deidara knows this much about you like your stalker for example, then maybe they really had planned something solid to drag you down your graves."

"No, not really." Deidara interrupted just before the sunflower blonde could make her reply. "From the files given to us, there was more information given about Naruko-san than her twin. Maybe because she is with our boss' old friend. And Orochimaru did think that Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina only had a daughter. He just discovered few years ago that she has a twin when Naruto-san went on a journey with his _jerk_ uncle to look for his twin." The blond lad explained, making things a bit clearer to everyone except for the golden blond. Temari soon joined the group after announcing that the food is ready. And just by listening to the group's conversation, she finally caught up with the topic without asking.

"The day after our gig, when you completely disappeared. You were looking for your sister?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief. "I thought your uncle just decided to move because of his job."

"No." Naruto answered with a melancholic voice. "Kakashi-jii-chan and I headed to Suna and had temporarily stayed there while we look for my sister."

"Wait, so you knew about Gaara being alive?" Shikamaru asked once more, which Naruto replied with a nod.

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "But I was ordered not to talk about it."

"So you were just acting awhile ago?!"

"Yes... Sorry about that, Shikamaru."

"Mendokuse..." he sighed, earning him a joined laugh from the two female blondes. Women _are_ troublesome.

"You clearly fell for that act?" Temari asked after composing herself.

"Well, yeah." Shikamaru replied. "You practically almost cursed Naruto. And he literally broke down when he saw Gaara. And I was there when you all brought him to the Konoha Hospital when Tsunade-sama's still the head doctor there. I was also there when he..." Shikamaru then trailed off after realizing the thought that he was clearly not present when the Sabaku heir _'died'._ He just remembered Kankuro heading back to Suna, leaving his sister in Konoha because of her studies.

"Well, I am an actor in training, dattebayo." the golden blond proudly remarked, and he was earned by an applausive laughter from his company in concurrence.

"But wait," Naruko interrupted immediately before their conversation head to something more different, "then that would mean something far more complex than before." the sunflower concluded just before the others could comprehend what she's talking about.

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru was imperceptibly permitted by the group to ask, being the smarty-ass and all.

"All we know about the Akatsuki is that they all want us dead, together with the Uchiha brothers. We have no idea what Orochimaru want with the Hyuuga but they are somewhat involved in this life and death war." Naruko stated. "If Orochimaru knows this much about my private life through Jiraiya-jiji, then that would mean he knows everything about him."

"Which means we're not that safe while perv-jiji's with us, dattebayo." The golden blond finished, shocking everyone in the room. It is a shocking event, no need to explain why.

"Not quite, nii-chan." Naruko uttered, relieving the golden blond. "Do not underestimate Jiraiya-jiji's abilities. You have not lived with him for twelve years. He's really good at gathering information as well. What bothers me is that he's not sharing any of those information he knows."

"What do you mean-ttebayo?"

"When we were discussing things with Tsunade-baa-san, I could really tell he's not giving all he got. She and jiji may be old pals, but maybe I was always with him that I almost see him as my father... And maybe being always with him made me know him more, and see through him – what is on his mind and sort."

_Damn, Naruko's really a total opposite of Naruto when it comes to brains_, Shikamaru mentally noted as he eagerly listened to the sunflower's discussion, and mentally wiped the streaming blood from his nose.

"But why would he keep such things if he's really willing to save your lives?" Temari asked. "Unless–"

"–Unless he's also one of the bad guys." Deidara interrupted, enraging the sunflower girl beside him.

"You have no rights to say that kid, dattebane!"

"As a matter of fact, I do, un. You wanted my knowledge, right? You guys asked for it in return of keeping my danna's life safe, un." Deidara retorted with a voice as loud as the sunflower blonde's. Good thing all rooms in the penthouse are soundproof and they could yell at each other without bothering the people in the other room.

"Yes we did. But that doesn't permit you to judge our godfather."

"Cool down, Naruko." the golden blond uttered. "Let's hear his words first-ttebayo." He stoically finished before gazing back at the young Iwa heir.

"I always hear Pein-sama talks to someone on the phone whom he calls _sensei_. After talking to him, he immediately calls Orochimaru to tell him what his _sensei_ informed him earlier, un."

"And your point?" Naruko said in a conceited tone.

"I made a sneaky research about it and found out that Pein-sama's old sensei was your godfather, un."

Naruko snickered at the thought. "Jiraiya-jiji is not his only sensei. It's college, you meet different professors."

"But there's still a small percentage that Jiraiya-san is the sensei Pein-san is talking to." Shikamaru uttered to balance the case. "There is a small chance that maybe, just maybe, he's also doing things behind your back. Maybe that is why he's hiding some informations. Though it is also possible that he also just wanted you and Naruto to not get involve with the situation much and live a normal life."

"To be honest, I really am willing to help, un. I never wanted to be in the Akatsuki and be a stockholder. I have a life too, un." Deidara explained, somewhat satisfying the sunflower blonde with his answer. "I wasn't judging your godfather, un. Rather, I was spilling some information I know in all hope that it would make sense, yeah."

"Fine." Naruko uttered before looking away and leaning her back to the backrest. "Apology accepted."

"But I did not–" Deidara was about to oppose the sunflower blonde when her twin frantically flailed his hands to stop him from uttering some things that might cause his twin to snap once more. The young Iwa sighed in return and just concurred at things even if he's against to it. He should be used at doing this because if his danna. "Yeah, thanks for accepting the apology, un."

"I'm heading back to the kitchen to make a dessert. Looks like we'll be stuck in here for another hour." Temari said before eying the sunflower blonde who willingly stood up with her. The blond lad stood up as well, seconds after the two female blondes disappeared through the kitchen door and head to the covered balcony where the golden blond stayed earlier.

It was a tensing conversation for Naruto. He just happened to have an emotional talk with his godfather, then minutes after he had a heated conversation with the others. Then later they will have another discussion about the Akatsuki with the grownups, the Iwa heir, and the Sabaku siblings. Can't things get worse than what he is experiencing? He hoped not. He just doesn't know what to do if those things happen. And looks like the worst among the worst if his godfather being one of the bad guys. Just the thought alone makes him cringe in pain, what more if it's real? What more if everything fails? What more if there's really no hope anymore? What more if this is the end?

"You can call her if you want to." Naruto snapped back to reality upon hearing his pal's words. Once more, he caught himself aimlessly staring at the rosette's contact detail. And when did he get the phone from his pocket, he doesn't know.

"Heh, so you're here too-ttebayo." Naruto said as he chuckled in thought. He just can't believe that one of his bandmates is here. And without Chouji, no doubt. He had always thought of them as inseparable.

"No, I am not. I am just an illusion your brain portrays." Shikamaru replied monotonously with an emotionless expression. Sarcasm at its finest was his action.

Naruto murmured inaudible words with a pout before keeping his phone inside his pockets, and gazed back to the pineapple head. "I'm starting a conversation here, y'know!"

"And I replied." Shikamaru responded. "Jeez, what a bother." The spiky brunet sighed.

"Everything for you is a bother, most of the time troublesome-ttebayo." Naruto added with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Like your love life isn't." Shikamaru sighed before stretching.

"And yours?!"

"It's a hundred and more fixed." The spiky brunet said with his sure-win smirk, earning him a pout from his blond pal. "Jeez, you and Kiba are too troublesome."

'"Kiba?! So you know already?" The golden blond asked with wide eyes. And it widened once more as the spiky brunet nodded in reply. Kiba didn't formally tell his relationship with the pearlescent, nor did Naruto tell Kiba that he knew there was something between them. Though knowing Shikamaru as Kiba's old classmate and pal, and Ino's childhood friend, Naruto was pretty darn sure the pineapple-head discovered it. "What's up with him?" Naruto asked.

"Kiba told me about his past relationship with Ino and was asking some questions."

"Questions?" Naruto echoed. Looks like his assumptions were inaccurate.

"Yeah, like when did she go back to Konoha, her relationship with Sai, something like that." Shikamaru unenthusiastically bulleted.

"So, Kiba told you everything about their past-ttebayo?"

"Yeah," said Shikamaru with his lazy voice still. "Though I didn't provide the answers to the questions he asked me."

"Why, dattebayo?!" Naruto asked exasperatedly. "Are you against their relationship? Do you like Hinata more for Kiba?!"

"Neji's cousin? Why no." Shikamaru defended. "Heh, it's just like a puzzle game. You won't enjoy playing it if you keep on following the guides given to you. Whereas if you solve it on your own, you'll appreciate the picture you're slowly forming." Shikamaru explained as he placed his hands behind his head.

Naruto blinked at the pineapple-head's explanation in reply. But he got what he meant, more or less.

"You know, pondering about things won't do much unless you put it into action."

"Heh, more like a trial and error thing-ttebayo?"

"Yeah, just like that." Shikamaru concurred. "In other words, staring at Sakura's number won't do any help unless you really call her." Shikamaru added just before the golden blond could make a reply.

Naruto stared blankly at the brunet with mouth slightly opened. All the words he was about to say ran away and he's now left speechless. He took out his phone once more and rummaged his inbox for the rosette's messages, smiling at how they converse with each other, as if they have known one another for a long time. Seconds before he could click the rosette's number, he suddenly realized what his brunet pal is reaching towards him.

"Why are you reaching your phone to me-ttebayo?" He asked with a questioning look.

"My phone has an anti-tracking device. And I have unlimited calls for the day, might as well use it before it ends." Shikamaru explained simply while his other vacant hand rubs his nape. "Call Kiba after and tell him that there might be a small chance that you can sing in our gig."

"What?! N-na-na-nandattebayo?!"

"When Jiraiya-san entered the dining room, he told me to tell you to quit the band. Knowing Kiba, he wouldn't buy it. So just tell him you can't instead." Shikamaru explained, though it failed to convince the golden blond.

"Why wouldn't he?! And why would I quit?! Did you quit also, that's why you're here?"

"You're in a more dangerous situation now, Naruto. You should not perform in that party. Konoha is not that big as you think it is. And Ino owns a plaque entitling her as one of the people who throws best parties. An'd I'm pretty sure her first party here in Konoha would be a hit, just like the parties she had thrown back in the province." Shikamaru explained, though the blond is still not convinced.

"So you will quit too? You know too well that Kiba is also a stubborn bastard. He'll go hunt us to our deaths if he has to just to avoid embarrassment." Naruto shot.

"No. By the time you call him and tell him you can't go, he'll immediately put the pressure on me and Chouji. Worst scenario would be me singing in front of the crowds. That or I can suggest we go acoustic and serenade the people." Shikamaru explicated.

Convinced, Naruto finally took his pal's phone and dialled the rosette's number. Shikamaru stood up and decided to join the young Iwa in the balcony to give his friend some privacy. He doesn't want to be a love-coach for the second time, knowing that it's the field he kind of sucks at. Though he hoped everything will be alright between the two.

Naruto seemed to be having a hard time to face the fact that Sakura might hate him for life. He doesn't even know what to tell her if ever she answers the call. And he doesn't know what he would do if she won't answer it. Why do girls have to be a woe to all men?! Or maybe that is why the other term for females are _women_. Crazy logic has gone mad again for the golden blond who is still stuck at the decision of calling the rosette or not.

_You're in a more dangerous situation now, Naruto..._

Shikamaru's words played in his head in an endless loop. It is true, now that the Akatsuki members are now hunting them like wild animals on the loose; Naruto's life is twice in trouble. And what if—just what if—one day he'll just stop breathing; his heart will fail to give just one more beat? What if this is the last moment he'll be able to talk to the rosette? Clearly he cannot go out of the penthouse and see her once more. This is his only chance to make things up for her. And this might be the only chance to let her know...

Number. He needn't to check his phone to dial her number. He had managed to memorize Sakura's number for staring at it for a long time. One last chance and he will not let it slip away. He must thank the person who invented the voicemail. For the words he has to tell her, those very special words, are simply too damn special to convey if she would just cut him off just like what she usually do. And it is too special that she has to hear it, and letting her know through a text message would bore her to death. Yes, death is pretty unpredictable. That is why she has to hear it, by all literal means. For it is the closest he could do other than telling it to her in person.

And with a single click, the voicemail gave a short beep, instigating the golden blond to give all he has, and all he could too...

"Hi Sakura-chan! It's me, Naruto..."

* * *

Strolling around the city he goes, contemplating about the recent actions of the pearlescent's, the band setlist, and Akamaru's increase in height and weight (he can't believe the puppy grows so fast). But more importantly, Kiba was contemplating about the pearlescent's thoughts. Her real feelings towards him. He doesn't really know why, and the girls usually do the chasing. So why is he heading to the cafe to confront her? Isn't that considered as chasing? But on the contrary, he doesn't really like the way Ino was ignoring him. They both made an agreement of being friends, then she began shoving him away just like before.

There are many questions that he cannot wait to hear the answers. Why can't his co-brunet answer those questions anyway? But he is right about the puzzle pieces. Now he wondered where Shikamaru got that from. But either way, he has a good point. And as Kiba heard a playing piano from the cafe's door, in which he thought was a radio, he could not help but just listen to its simple, yet wonderful piece.

One reason why he fell in love with Ino in a snap was her piano skills. He had long envied her for it was his only weakness he has when it comes to music. Name any song and he can tell you the one who sang or composed it, may it be rock or classical. But never did he put an interest on playing classical instruments. Until he met the pearlescent.

It was almost the end-part of the song when he recognized it well. Few years had passed, and he's somewhat glad that it is still the pearlescent's favorite band.

"_Blame it on the Rain_ by _He is We_, nice selection. Who is it for?" the brunet asked upon seeing the pearlescent on the other side.

The pearlescent hit the last note and said. "Thanks. It's dedicated to the person who broke my..." she trailed off as she realized who she was talking to as she turned around.

"Person who broke your...?" he echoed once more as he casually passed by several chairs.

"What are you doing here, Kiba? I thought I told everyone that we'll take a day-off today." Ino said as she managed to snap herself. "One of the bands we invited will need a piano, so I asked my dad if they could use mine in the party. I was just giving it a try." She explained as she noticed the brunet's curious look at the piano.

"Ah... Is that so..." Kiba hummed before leaning in to the opened wooden sliding door joining the cafe and the Yamanaka's residence. They were almost done with the place. The only thing they have to fix is the stage where the piano is currently placed.

"Why are you here?" She asked as she passed by him, and headed to the cafe to get herself a drink when Kiba managed to held her wrist. "What are you doing?" Ino asked, a bit pissed-off, before tugging her wrist with the brunet, who on the other hand tightened his grip.

"Why are you fighting back?" He asked as he fully faced her to him, with his both hands now holding her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"Ino will you–"

"Will I what?!" She snapped as she stopped jerking off from him with begging eyes.

_I can't stop thinking about you, I can't help but gaze at you when you're not looking, I can't help but miss you, I still love you... why aren't they coming out?! _Kiba mentally asked as he found himself motionless at the pearlescents's gaze. He slowly let her go and moved few steps backward to give them enough space.

"We were seventeen..."

"What?!" Ino shot once more with her anger continuously rising. Until its boiling point went back to zero as she realized what he was doing. "You guys already auditioned. Your band will perform in the party."

"No Ino," Kiba sternly replied. "Just listen."

And she did. Though she was expecting him to sing fully, the guy really knows how to work things with her despite of their summer fling. Was their relationship that special?

"_We were seventeen but everything still seems so clear to me. Whispering and watching falling stars from my beat up car._" Kiba continued. "That's how I met you again after our last gig. When my car broke down when you were crossing the streets. It was almost dinner time and you just jumped in front of my first and last car just to ask for directions." Kiba allowed a short pause to visit, and give himself a little time to compose. "Sadly, the moment you popped out of nowhere my car broke down. My mother rescued us, even scolded me in front of you." he said as he giggled at the scene being said. "My car was sold for few dollars which made me sad. But at least I met this blonde cowgirl who is always willing to accompany me while walking."

"This is not a poem recital–"

"_In the parking lot almost ten o' clock, we went for one last walk. I couldn't stop thinking if I should try a kiss goodbye._" Once again, he continued as if no pearlescent interrupted him. Though she has a good point. Kiba was rather reciting the lyrics than singing it to her. "Our first encounter continued until we decided to exchange numbers. Every day we would meet in the park and just talk nonstop. Your curfew was nine in the evening, but we would always exceed the time. And every time I walk you home, I just couldn't help but think if I would just wave goodbye or maybe give a shot at kissing you at the cheeks." He sheepishly explained while rubbing his nape. "And I must say, I still wish I did." He said before releasing a weak laugh.

Ino remained unmoved. Tears being held back like her life depend on it if she let a single drop go. He could have sung it to her, it would be more romantic. But reciting every lyric to her with their memories like expressing a prose, it was rather painful, for she cannot deny the fact that all was true.

"You know what?" Kiba asked as he found himself dumbfounded at the situation that he forgot the following lyrics. He wanted to know her thoughts, but he wouldn't unless he gave his. But as things sinks in to him, he can't help but become pessimistic at things. But there is no turning back now. _Just think of the puzzle pieces..._ "Each and every day we spent together was the happiest days of my life." He pointed out as he refused to look at the pearlescent. He kept his gaze on the ground, feeling not worthy enough to look at the girl he still loves. "Those days were so damn special that I can't even forget them. Ask me a date within that month and I can..." he trailed-off as he felt hot tears streamed down his cheeks. "And I can't believe that all would end one day because of this bastard who is pretty much close to me." He said as he brushed up his hair.

Ino took a deep breath, and slowly released it as she watched the brunet before her suffer. She gave him this pain that he carried for so many days. And by the time she finally almost fixed everything, she began tearing it apart again.

"And till now I can't get you off my mind. But I couldn't do much now because you had fully blocked me out of your life," Kiba continued as he fully allowed the tears to fall down from his eyes. "The day you left... I told myself that I would forget you. But a year had past and I still can't get you off my mind... until this little voice inside of me finally convinced me to wait." He said as his eyes finally met her watery ones. "And I'm glad I did," he continued as he forced himself to smile despite of the pain he is currently feeling. "And I'll... I'll wait forever..."

* * *

"I'll wait forever." Naruto finished before sending it to the rosette. Minutes after, the two blonde ladies joined him to the dining to set up the long table, with two trays behind them full of delicious meals.

"Are we throwing a party or something?" he cheerfully asked as he indulged himself with the delicious aroma of the dishes.

"Guess we were that bored to be able to make such dishes." Temari answered before giving in to laughter with the sunflower-blonde.

"Temari, Gaara's calling everyone out." And without any warning, the Sabaku oldest son entered the dining with the news. Temari nodded in replied and ordered him to call Gaara instead to eat dinner. Kankuro sighed and followed his sister's order without any obligations.

Naruto felt bad for Kankuro. It was like his major role in their family is Gaara and Temari's messenger. But he kind of like the Sabaku siblings' relationship. Despite of their blood differences, they still treat each other as one happy family. Just like his relationship with his twin, godfather, and uncle. They treat each other like one happy family. With the white-haired man always out, working his ass out to protect him and his sister; and the gray-haired man taking care of the household chores. Just like what a father and a mother do. Now having that thought is just plain wrong.

And as the grownups (except for the red-head) joined them in the dining, Naruto remembered once more why he was anticipating to have a talk with his godfather. But as everyone settled in on the table, he noticed the big missing piece in the puzzle. And Shikamaru made another statement that the golden blond will forever use from now on.

"Where's Jiraiya-jiji?" Naruto asked, but all he received were several shrugs and stares.

"Hmm... he left after making a phone call." Kakashi replied while rubbing his chin, making the golden blond giddy for more answer.

Suspicion slowly rose without permission. "Who was he talking to-ttebayo?"

"Hmm... I don't know," Kakashi continued. "But I heard him say about marriage and gambling. Maybe it was Tsunade-sama." The gray-haired concluded before pulling his mask a little to quaff the tempura held on the chopsticks.

Naruto nodded in return and worriedly looked down at his plate, before receiving a light arm-punch from the spiky brunet. He slowly gazed at him and gave him a small smiled which was soon returned with a worried one. Looks like the blond lad is right about the small possibility that their godfather might be doing something behind their back.

* * *

Silence had drowned them as no one wanted to break it first. The pearlescent didn't even make a single reaction except for her watery eyes. Kiba assumed that she was pretty much not amused with his performance. But he still has one bullet at hand that he can aim to shoot. But it he failed to hit the bull's eye this time, it's all over. But at least he tried. At least it is all clear now that the pearlescent will never...

"It was dedicated to you."

"What?" Kiba asked with eyes as wide as the dinner plates.

Ino sighed and looked down. "The song I played earlier, I was thinking of you at that moment." She said again. "I just... I just... I was waiting too, you know." She pointed out. And Kiba admitted that her words almost made his jaw drop. "I was waiting. But it's just too painful to see you with another..." she trailed off as the brunet hushed her while closing their distance.

With another silence dawning between them, Kiba leaned in and rested his forehead on her, with his feral grin present on his wet face from crying, and held the pearlescent tightly by her waist.

"I love you so much." He finally muttered, instigating the pearlescent to give in to the tears she was supressing for a long time.

"I love you still as well." She replied with a weak laugh while she slowly put her arms around him as he slowly leaned lower.

Slowly, their cheeks brushed, and they felt each other's warm breath, causing them to laugh at the feeling. Kiba could almost feel her warm lips against his. He was a half centimetre close to her when...

_You are my friend! Ahh..._

"Is that your ringtone?!" Ino asked as she tried to suppress her laughter this time. The two backed off from each other as the brunet exaggeratedly took out his phone from his pocket to check who the caller is.

"You, know, I noticed that you and Naruto switched numbers."

"Oh that..." Kiba muttered as he rubbed his nape. "Well, long story short, Naruto's phone broke and he asked me to fix it or else he won't return my phone back. And yeah, I still haven't fixed it yet till now." The brunet explained before silencing his phone.

"You should answer it, whoever that caller may be." Ino teased as she gave in to a laugh.

Following his lover's order, he immediately swiped his finger on the screen before placing it to his ear.

"What the fuck Shikamaru?! With all the time you have, why do you have to call during my first ever kissing session?!" He hollered at the phone, making the pearlescent laugh some more as she leaned by the counter.

"_Peeping session?!"_ And looks like the brunet had also activated the loud-speak, for the pearlescent clearly heard each and every single word the _golden blond_ uttered, making her laugh some more.

"Kissing you piece of banana lover–"

"_Ramen lover, you mean?"_

"Urosai Naruto!" Kiba yelled as his anger rose upon realizing the caller from the other line. Ino swore she could die from laughing because of the brunet. "Why did you call anyway?" The brunet asked in a much lesser volume.

"_Well, I have to end this call soon and–"_

"Cut to the chase."

"_I was going to tell it!"_ the golden blond hollered from the other line. Ino excused herself for a moment and returned to her piano before her stomach break down because of laughing.

"So what is it?"

"_I can't go to the party this weekend."_

"What!? Why? It's just few days away. What happened?"

"_You know our situation right now, Kiba. I hope you'll understand." _Naruto explained.

The brunet looked down with disappointment. "Could have quitted like Sasuke, you know."

"_Nah, I still want to be in the band. Just so happen that I really can't go this Saturday."_

"I understand. I'll find another way. As long as Chouji and that slug won't go quittin' on me."

"_Nah, Shikamaru said he won't as long as you won't torture him."_

"Heh, I won't." Kiba said before laughing as he heard the said slug defend himself from the other line.

"_Yosh! Good luck on practicing. Is the setlist final? Shikamaru here is asking about it."_

"Heh, tell him I might change it. I'll inform him tonight."

"_It is night-ttebayo..."_

"I said tomorrow night you fishcake. Now head to your business!" Kiba hollered once more, earning him a laugh from his two band mates from the other line.

"_Yes boss." _

Kiba waited for the beep before placing his phone back to his pocket. He will sure miss his blond friend. He prayed that all will end soon. It kind of sucks knowing that he can't do anything to help his friend. It was killing him, almost. But prayers work, more or less.

"Hey, what happened?" The pearlescent asked as she re-joined the brunet back in the cafe, and leaned at the counter.

The brunet approached her and rested both his hands at the edge of the counter on either side of the pearlescent, trapping her from his presence. "Band problem." He said before attempting to claim the kiss he failed to obtain earlier. Sadly he failed once more as the pearlescent flawlessly got away.

"C'mon, you've missed a lot. I've been working on a piece." Ino cheerfully said before jogging her way to her piano with full of excitement.

"Jeez, you could have taken a music course than Interior Design." Kiba commented as he followed the pearlescent to the other room.

_And I'm glad I waited._

_**-End of Part 17-**_

* * *

**A/N: **Is Jiraiya a friend or a foe? What is the real purpose of Deidara and why did he appeared in the penthouse all of a sudden? Where is the Akasuna heir? What are the news from Hyuuga Clan and Uchiha brothers? And why the hell is Tsunade not drunk when Jiraiya called her? Find out on the next, last five chapters of **The One That Got Away**. (Shout-out to nii-chan who originally made these questions! [just added few more questions and rearranged the arrangement {redundancy at its finest}]).

I'm really speechless. Well yeah, we're few chapters away from the ending... So first of all, I would like to thank y'all in advance for reading my first ever multi-chaptered fic. The people who followed and favorited me and this story, to all of my reviewers, I would like to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart and in my belly, thank you so much. Y'all don't know how this means to me. And yeah, I'm getting too emotional. Blame global warming... Hope it was a satisfying read! Take care, folks ;)


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